A   SON 

OF  THE 

IMMORTALS 


LOUIS  TRACY 


.f 


A 
V 


MV.  OF  CALIF.  UMAftY*  MMB 


The  sight  of  Alec  and  his  fair  burden  brought  a  cheer  from  the  crowd 

Frontispici 


A  Son 
of  the  Immortals 


By 

LOUIS   TRACY 

Author  of  "  The  Stowaway,"  "  The  Message, 
"The  Wings  of  the  Morning,"  etc. 


Illustrations    by 
HOWARD    CHANDLER    CHRISTY 


New  York 

Edward  J.  Clode 

Publisher 


Copyright,  1909.  by 
EDWARD  J.  CLODE 


Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.     THE  FORTUNE  TELLER       ....  1 

II.       MONSEIGNEUR 22 

III.     IN  THE  ORIENT  EXPRESS      ....  44 

IV.     THE  WHITE  CITY 64 

V.     FELIX  SURMOUNTS  A  DIFFICULTY       .        .89 
VI.     JOAN  GOES  INTO  SOCIETY    .        .        .        .112 
VII.     JOAN   BECOMES  THE  VICTIM   OF   CIRCUM- 
STANCES        132 

VIII.     SHOWING  How  THE  KING  KEPT  His  AP- 
POINTMENT          154 

IX.     MUTTERINGS  OF  STORM        .        .        .        .176 

X.     WHEREIN  THE  SHADOWS  DEEPEN      .        .  196 

XI.     JOAN  DECIDES 221 

XII.     THE  STORM  BREAKS 241 

XIII.     WHEREIN  A  REASON  Is  GIVEN  FOR  JOAN'S 

FLIGHT 263 

XIV.     THE  BROKEN  TREATY 284 

XV.     THE  ENVOY  .  310 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

The  sight  of  Alec  and  his  fair  burden  brought  a 

cheer  from  the  crowd       .        .        .       Frontispiece 

PAGE, 

"  Gentlemen,  here  stands  Alexis  Delgrado  "  .  .        75 

Beaumanoir  and  Felix  fortified  the  position  .  .153 

Joan  laughed  at  Alec's  masterful  methods       .  .      199 

Stampoff  saluted  the  King  in  silence       .        .  .     268 

In  a  few  minutes  the  three  were  securely  bound  .     298 

He  felt  the  thrill  that  ran  through  her  veins  .  .306 


A  SON  OF  THE  IMMORTALS 

CHAPTER  I 

THE   FORTUNE   TELLEE 

ON  a  day  in  May,  not  so  long  ago,  Joan  Ver- 
non,  coming  out  into  the  sunshine  from  her 
lodging  in  the  Place  de  la  Sorbonne,  smiled 
a  morning  greeting  to  the  statue  of  Auguste  Comte, 
founder  of  Positivism.  It  would  have  puzzled  her 
to  explain  what  Positivism  meant,  or  why  it  should 
be  merely  positive  and  not  stoutly  comparative  or 
grandly  superlative.  As  a  teacher,  therefore,  Comte 
made  no  appeal.  She  just  liked  the  bland  look  of 
the  man,  was  pleased  by  the  sleekness  of  his  white 
marble.  He  seemed  to  be  a  friend,  a  counselor,  strut- 
ting worthily  on  a  pedestal  labeled  "  Ordre  et  Pro- 
gres  " ;  for  Joan  was  an  artist,  not  a  philosopher. 

Perhaps  there  was  an  underthought  that  she  and 
Comte  were  odd  fish  to  be  at  home  together  in  that 
placid  backwater  of  the  Latin  Quarter.  Next  door 
to  the  old-fashioned  house  in  which  she  rented  three 
rooms  was  a  cabaret,  a  mere  wreck  of  a  wineshop, 
apparently  cast  there  by  the  torrent  of  the  Boule 

1 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

Mich,  which  roared  a  few  yards  away.  Its  luminous 
sign,  a  foaming  tankard,  showed  gallantly  by  night, 
but  was  garish  by  day,  since  gas  is  akin  to  froth, 
to  which  the  sun  is  pitiless.  But  the  cabaret  had 
its  customers,  quiet  folk  who  gathered  in  the  evening 
to  gossip  and  drink  strange  beverages,  whereas  its 
nearest  neighbor  on  the  boulevard  side  was  an  empty 
tenement,  a  despondent  ghost  to-day,  though  once 
it  had  rivaled  the  flaunting  tankard.  Its  frayed 
finery  told  of  gay  sparks  extinguished.  A  flam- 
boyant legend  declared,  "Ici  on  chante,  on  boit,  on 
s'amuse  (  ?)  "  Joan  always  smirked  a  little  at  that 
suggestive  note  of  interrogation,  which  lent  a  world 
of  meaning  to  the  half-obliterated  statement  that 
Madame  Lucette  would  appear  "  tous  les  soirs  dans 
ses  chansons  d'actualites." 

Nodding  to  Leontine,  the  cabaret's  amazingly 
small  maid  of  all  work,  who  was  always  washing 
and  never  washed,  Joan  saw  the  query  for  the  hun- 
dredth time,  and,  as  ever,  found  its  answer  in  the 
blistered  paint  and  dust  covered  windows :  Madame 
Lucette's  last  song  of  real  life  pointed  a  moral. 

Joan's  bright  face  did  not  cloud  on  that  account. 
Paul  Verlaine,  taking  the  air  in  the  Boulevard  Saint 
Michel,  had  he.  chanced  to  notice  the  dry  husk  of 
that  Cabaret  Latin,  might  have  composed  a  chanson 
on  the  vanity  of  dead  cafes ;  but  this  sprightly  girl 
had  chosen  her  residence  there  chiefly  because  it 
marched  with  her  purse.  Moreover,  it  was  admirably 
suited  to  the  needs  of  one  who  for  the  most  part  gave 

2 


The  Fortune  Teller 

her  days  to  the  Louvre  and  her  evenings  to  the 
Sorbonne. 

She  was  rather  late  that  morning.  Lest  that 
precious  hour  of  white  light  should  be  lost,  she  sped 
rapidly  across  the  place,  down  the  boulevard,  and 
along  the  busy  Quai  des  Grands  Augustins.  On  the 
Pont  Neuf  she  glanced  up  at  another  statuesque 
acquaintance,  this  time  a  kingly  personage  on  horse- 
back. She  could  never  quite  dispel  the  notion  that 
Henri  Quatre  was  ready  to  flirt  with  her.  The 
roguish  twinkle  in  his  bronze  'eye  was  very  taking, 
and  there  were  not  many  men  in  Paris  who  could 
look  at  her  in  that  way  and  win  a  smile  in  return. 
To  be  sure,  it  was  no  new  thing  for  a  Vernon  to 
be  well  disposed  toward  Henry  of  Navarre;  but 
that  is  ancient  history,  and  our  pretty  Joan, 
blithely  unconscious,  was  hurrying  that  morning 
to  take  an  active  part  in  redrafting  the  Berlin 
treaty. 

At  the  corner  of  the  bridge,  where  it  joins  the 
Quai  du  Louvre,  she  met  a  young  man.  Each 
pretended  that  the  meeting  was  accidental,  though, 
after  the  first  glance,  the  best-natured  recording 
angel  ever  commissioned  from  Paradise  would  have 
refused  to  believe  either  of  them. 

"  What  a  piece  of  luck ! "  cried  the  young  man. 
"  Are  you  going  to  the  Louvre  ?  " 

"Yes.  And  you?"  demanded  Joan,  flushing 
prettily. 

"  I  am  killing  time  till  the  afternoon,  when  I  play 
3 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

Number  One  for  the  Wanderers.     To-day's  match 
is  at  Bagatelle." 

She  laughed.  "  '  Surely  thou  also  art  one  of  them ; 
for  thy  speech  bewrayeth  thee,'  "  she  quoted. 

"  I  don't  quite  follow  that,  Miss  Vernon." 

"  No?  Well,  I'll  explain  another  time.  I  must 
away  to  my  copying." 

"  Let  me  come  and  fix  your  easel.  Really,  I  have 
nothing  else  to  do." 

"  Worse  and  worse !  En  route,  alors!  You  can 
watch  me  at  work.  That  must  be  a  real  pleasure 
to  an  idler." 

"  I  am  no  idler,"  he  protested. 

"  What  ?  Who  spoke  but  now  of  '  killing  time,' 
*  play,'  '  Number  One,'  and  '  Bagatelle  '  ?  Really, 
Mr.  Delgrado ! " 

"  Oh,  is  that  what  you  are  driving  at?  But  you 
misunderstood.  Bagatelle  is  near  the  polo  ground 
in  the  Bois,  and,  as  Number  One  in  my  team,  I  shall 
have  to  hustle.  Four  stiff  chukkers  at  polo  are 
downright  hard  work,  Miss  Vernon.  By  teatime  I 
shall  be  a  limp  rag.  I  promised  to  play  nearly  a 
month  ago,  and  I  cannot  draw  back  now." 

"  Polo  is  a  man's  game,  at  any  rate,"  she  ad- 
mitted. 

"  Would  you  care  to  see  to-day's  tie?  "  he  asked 
eagerly.  "  We  meet  Chantilly,  and,  if  we  put  them 
out  in  the  first  round  of  the  tournament,  with  any 
ordinary  luck  we  ought  to  run  right  into  the  semi- 
final." " 

4 


The  Fortune  Teller 

She  shook  her  head.  "  You  unhappy  people  who 
have  to  plan  and  scheme  how  best  to  waste  your 
hours  have  no  notion  of  their  value.  I  must  work 
steadily  from  two  till  five.  That  means  a  sixteenth 
of  my  picture.  Divide  two  hundred  and  fifty  by 
sixteen,  and  you  have — dear  me!  I  am  no  good  at 
figures." 

"Fifteen  francs,  sixty-two  and  a  half  centimes," 
said  he  promptly. 

She  flashed  a  surprised  look  at  him.  "  That  is 
rather  clever  of  you,"  she  said.  "  Well,  fancy  a  poor 
artist  sacrificing  all  that  money  in  order  to  watch 
eight  men  galloping  after  a  white  ball  and  whack- 
ing it  and  each  other's  ponies  unmercifully." 

"  To  hit  an  adversary's  pony  is  the  unforgivable 
sin,"  he  cried,  smiling  at  her,  and  she  hastily  averted 
her  eyes,  having  discovered  an  unnerving  similarity 
between  his  smile  and — Henri  Quatre's! 

They  walked  on  in  eloquent  silence.  The  man 
was  cudgeling  his  brains  for  an  excuse  whereby 
he  might  carry  her  off  in  triumph  to  the  Bois.  The 
girl  was  fighting  down  a  new  sensation  that  threat- 
ened her  independence.  Never  before  had  she  felt 
tonguetied  in  the  presence  of  an  admirer.  She  had 
dismissed  dozens  of  them.  She  refrained  now  from 
sending  this  good-looking  boy  packing  only  because 
it  would  be  cruel,  and  Joan  Vernon  could  not  be 
cruel  to  anyone.  Nevertheless,  she  had  to  justify 
herself  as  a  free  lance,  and  it  is  the  role  of  a  lance 
to  attack  rather  than  defend. 

5 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

"  What  do  you  occupy  yourself  with  when  you 
are  not  playing  polo  or  lounging  about  artists' 
studios  ?  "  she  asked  suddenly. 

"  Not  much,  I  am  afraid.  I  like  shooting  and 
hunting ;  but  these  Frenchmen  have  no  backbone  for 
sport.  Will  you  believe  it,  one  has  the  greatest 
difficulty  in  getting  a  good  knock  at  polo  unless 
there  is  a  crowd  of  ladies  on  the  lawn  ?  " 

"  Ah !  I  begin  to  see  light." 

"  That  is  not  the  reason  I  asked  you  to  come. 
If  you  honored  me  so  greatly  you  would  be  the  first 
woman,  my  mother  excepted,  I  have  ever  driven  to 
the  club.  To-day's  players  are  mostly  Americans 
or  English.  Of  course  there  are  some  first-rate 
French  teams ;  but  you  can  take  it  from  me  that 
they  show  their  real  form  only  before  the  ladies." 

"  As  in  the  tourneys  of  old?  " 

"  Perhaps.  It  is  the  same  at  the  chateaux. 
Everyone  wants  his  best  girl  to  watch  his  prowess 
with  the  gun." 

He  stopped,  wishing  he  had  left  the  best  girl  out 
of  it ;  but  Joan  was  kind  hearted  and  did  not  hesitate 
an  instant. 

"  So  you  are  what  is  known  as  a  gentleman  of 
leisure  and  independent  means  ?  "  she  said  suavely. 

"  Something  of  the  sort." 

"  I  am  sorry  for  you,  Mr.  Delgrado." 

"  I  am  rather  sorry  for  myself  at  times,"  he 
admitted,  and  if  Joan  had  chanced  to  glance  at  him 
she  would  have  seen  a  somewhat  peculiar  expression 

6 


on  his  face.  "  But  why  do  you  call  me  Mr.  Del- 
grado  ?  " 

She  gazed  at  him  now  in  blank  bewilderment — 
just  a  second  too  late  to  see  that  expression.  "  Isn't 
Delgrado  your  name  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Yes,  in  a  sense.  People  mostly  call  me  Alec. 
Correctly  speaking,  Alec  isn't  mother's  darling  for 
Alexis  ;  but  it  goes,  anyhow.'? 

"  Sometimes  I  think  you  are  an  American,"  she 
vowed. 

"  Half,"  he  said.  "  My  mother  is  an  American, 
my  father  a  Kosnovian — well,  just  a  Kosnovian." 

"  And  pray  what  is  that  ?  "  she  cried. 

"  Haven't  you  heard  of  Kosnovia?  It  is  a  little 
Balkan  State." 

"  Is  there  some  mystery,  then,  about  your  name?  " 

"  Oh,  no ;  plain  Alec." 

"  Am  I  to  call  you  plain  Alec  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  But  it  follows  that  you  would  call  me  plain 
Joan." 

"  Let  it  go  at  Joan." 

"  Very  well.     Good  morning,  Alec." 

"  No,  no,  Miss  Vernon.  Don't  be  vexed.  I  really 
did  not  mean  to  be  rude.  And  you  promised,  you 
know." 

"Promised  what?" 

"  That  I  might  help  carry  your  traps.  Please 
don't  send  me  away !  " 

He  was  so  contrite  that  Joan  weakened  again.  "  It 
7, 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

is  rather  friendly  to  hear  one's  Christian  name 
occasionally,"  she  declared.  "  I  will  compound  on 
the  Alec  if  you  will  tell  me  why  the  Delgrado  applies 
only  in  a  sense." 

"  Done — Joan,"  said  he,  greatly  daring.  He 
waited  the  merest  fraction  of  time;  but  she  gave 
no  sign.  "  My  stipulation  is  of  the  slightest,"  he 
added,  "  that  I  discourse  in  the  Louvre.  Where 
are  you  working?  " 

"  In  the  Grande  Galerie;  on  a  subject  that  I  enjoy, 
too.  People  have  such  odd  notions  as  to  nice  pic- 
tures. They  choose  them  to  match  the  furniture. 
Now,  this  one  is  quite  delightful  to  copy,  and  not 
very  difficult.  But  you  shall  see." 

They  entered  the  Louvre  from  the  Quai. 

Joan  was  undoubtedly  flurried.  Here,  in  very 
truth,  was  that  irrepressible  Henri  descended  from 
his  bronze  horse  and  walking  by  her  side.  That  his 
later  name  happened  to  be  Alec  did  not  matter  at 
all.  She  knew  that  a  spiteful  Bourbon  had  melted 
down  no  less  than  two  statues  of  Napoleon  in  order 
to  produce  the  fine  cavalier  who  approved  of  her 
every  time  she  crossed  the  Pont  Neuf,  and  it  seemed 
as  if  some  of  the  little  Corsican's  dominance  was 
allied  with  a  touch  of  Bearnais  swagger  in  the  stal- 
wart youth  whom  she  had  met  for  the  first  time 
in  Rudin's  studio  about  three  weeks  earlier. 

They  were  steel  and  magnet  at  once.  Delgrado 
had  none  of  the  boulevardier's  abounding  self-conceit, 
or  Joan  would  never  have  given  him  a  second  look, 

8 


The  Fortune  Teller 

while  Joan's  frank  comradeship  was  vastly  more 
alluring  than  the  skilled  coquetry  that  left  him  cold. 
Physically,  too,  they  were  well  mated,  each  obviously 
made  for  the  other  by  a  discriminating  Providence. 
They  were  just  beginning  to  discover  the  fact,  and 
this  alarmed  Joan. 

She  could  not  shake  off  the  notion  that  he  had 
waylaid  her  this  morning  for  a  purpose  wholly  un- 
connected with  the  suggested  visit  to  the  polo  ground. 
So,  tall  and  athletic  though  he  was,  she  set  such  a 
pace  up  the  steps  and  through  the  lower  galleries 
that  further  intimate  talk  became  impossible.  Ata- 
lanta  well  knew  what  she  was  about  when  she  ran 
her  suitors  to  death,  and  Meilanion  showed  a  deep 
insight  into  human  nature  when  he  arranged  that 
she  should  loiter  occasionally. 

Delgrado,  however,  had  no  golden  apples  to  drop 
in  Joan's  path,  could  not  even  produce  a  conversa- 
tional plum;  but  he  was  young  enough  to  believe 
in  luck,  and  he  hoped  that  fortune  might  favor  him, 
once  the  painting  was  in  hand. 

Each  was  so  absorbed  in  the  other  that  the  Louvre 
might  have  been  empty.  Certainly,  neither  of  them 
noticed  that  a  man  crossing  the  Pont  du  Carrousel 
in  an  open  cab  seemed  to  be  vastly  surprised  when  he 
saw  them  hastening  through  the  side  entrance.  He 
carried  his  interest  to  the  point  of  stopping  the  cab 
and  following  them.  Young,  clear  skinned,  black- 
haired,  exceedingly  well  dressed,  with  the  eyes  and 
eyelashes  of  an  Italian  tenor,  he  moved  with  an  air 

9 


'A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

of  distinction,  and  showed  that  he  was  no  stranger 
to  the  Louvre  by  his  rapid  decision  that  the  Salle 
des  Moulages,  with  its  forbidding  plaster  casts,  was 
no  likely  resting  place  for  Delgrado  and  his  pretty 
companion. 

Making  straight  for  the  nearest  stairs,  he  almost 
blundered  upon  Alec,  laden  with  Joan's  easel  and 
canvas;  but  this  exquisite,  having  something  of  the 
spy's  skill,  whisked  into  an  alcove,  scrutinized  an 
old  print,  and  did  not  emerge  until  the  chance  of 
being  recognized  had  passed.  After  that,  he  was 
safe.  He  appeared  to  be  amused,  even  somewhat 
amazed,  when  he  learned  why  Delgrado  was  patroniz- 
ing the  arts.  Yet  the  discovery  was  evidently  pleas- 
ing. He  caressed  a  neat,  black  mustache  with  a  well- 
manicured  hand,  while  taking  note  of  Joan's  lithe 
figure  and  well  poised  head.  The  long,  straight 
vista  of  the  gallery  did  not  permit  of  a  near  view, 
and  he  could  not  linger  in  the  narrow  doorway, 
used  chiefly  by  artists  and  officials,  whence  he  watched 
them  for  a  minute  or  more. 

So  he  turned  on  his  heel  and  descended  to  the 
street  and  his  waiting  victoria,  waving  that  delicate 
hand  and  smiling  with  the  manner  of  one  who  said, 
"  Fancy  that  of  Alec !  The  young  scamp !  " 

Joan  was  copying  Caravaggio's  "  The  Fortune 
Teller,"  a  masterpiece  that  speaks  in  every  tongue, 
to  every  age.  Its  keynote  is  simplicity.  A  gallant 
of  Milan,  clothed  in  buff-colored  doublet  slashed  with 
forown  velvet,  a  plumed  cavalier  hat  set  rakishly  on 

10 


The  Fortune  Teller 

his  head,  and  a  lace  ruffle  caught  up  with  a  string 
of  seed  pearls  round  his  neck,  is  holding  out  his 
right  palm  to  a  Gypsy  woman,  while  the  fingers  of 
his  left  hand  rest  on  a  swordhilt.  The  woman  is 
young  and  pretty,  her  subject  a  mere  boy,  and  her 
smug  aspect  of  divination  is  happily  contrasted  with 
the  youth's  excitement  at  hearing  what  fate  has  in 
store. 

"  There ! "  cried  Joan.  "  What  do  you  think 
of  it?" 

She  had  almost  completed  the  Gypsy,  and  there 
was  already  a  suggestion  of  the  high  lights  in 
the  youngster's  face  and  his  brightly  colored 
garb. 

"  I  like  your  copy  more  than  the  original,"  said 
Delgrado. 

"  Your  visits  to  Rudin  have  not  taught  you  much 
about  art,  then,"  said  she  tartly. 

"  Not  even  that  great  master  would  wish  me  to 
be  insincere." 

"  No,  indeed ;  but  he  demands  knowledge  at  the 
back  of  truth.  Now,  mark  me !  You  see  that  speck 
of  white  fire  in  the  corner  of  the  woman's  eye?  It 
gives  life,  intelligence,  subtle  character.  Just  a 
little  blob  of  paint,  put  there  two  hundred  years 
ag°»  y^  it  conveys  the  whole  stock  in  trade  of  the 
fortune  teller.  Countless  numbers  of  men  and  women 
have  gazed  at  that  picture,  a  multitude  that  must 
have  covered  the  whole  range  of  human  virtues  and 
vices ;  but  it  has  never  failed  to  carry  the  same  mes- 

11 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

sage  to  every  beholder.  Do  you  think  that  my  poor 
reproduction  will  achieve  that?  " 

"  You  have  chosen  the  only  good  bit  in  the  paint- 
ing," he  declared  stoutly.  "  Look  at  the  boy's  lips. 
Caravaggio  must  have  modeled  them  from  a  girl's. 
What  business  has  a  fellow  with  pouting  red  lips 
like  them  to  wear  a  sword  on  his  thigh?  " 

Joan  laughed  with  joyousness  that  was  good  to 
hear. 

"  Pooh !  Run  away  and  smite  that  ball  with  a 
long  stick !  "  she  said. 

"  Hum !     More  than  the  Italian  could  have  done." 

He  was  ridiculously  in  earnest.  Joan  colored  sud- 
denly and  busied  herself  with  tubes  of  paint.  She 
believed  he  was  jealous  of  the  handsome  Lombard. 
She  began  to  mix  some  pigments  on  the  palette. 
Delgrado,  already  regretting  an  inexplicable  out- 
burst, turned  from  the  picture  and  looked  at  Murillo's 
"  woman  clothed  with  the  sun,  and  the  moon  under 
her  feet,  and  upon  her  head  a  diadem  of  twelve  stars." 

"  Now,  please  help  me  to  appreciate  that  and  you 
will  find  me  a  willing  student,"  he  murmured. 

But  Joan  had  recovered  her  self-possession.  "  Sup- 
pose we  come  off  the  high  art  ladder  and  talk  of 
our  uninteresting  selves,"  she  said.  "  What  of  the 
mystery  you  hinted  at  on  the  Quai?  Why  shouldn't 
I  call  you  Mr.  Delgrado?  One  cannot  always  say 
'  Alec,'  it's  too  short." 

Then  he  reddened  with  confusion.  "  Delgrado  is 
my  name,  right  enough,"  he  said.  "  It  is  the  prefix 

12 


The  Fortune  Teller 

I  object  to.  It  implies  that  I  am  sailing  under  false 
colors,  and  I  don't  like  that." 

"  I  am  not  good  at  riddles,  and  I  suspect  prefix," 
she  cried. 

"  Ah,  well,  I  suppose  I  must  get  through  with  it. 
Have  you  forgotten  how  Rudin  introduced  me  ?  " 

She  knitted  her  brows  for  a  moment.  Pretty 
women  should  cultivate  the  trick,  unless  they  fear 
wrinkles.  It  gives  them  the  semblance  of  looking 
in  on  themselves,  and  the  habit  is  commendable. 
"  Rudin  is  fond  of  his  little  joke,"  she  announced  at 
last. 

"But— what  did  he  say?" 

"  Oh,  there  was  some  absurdity.  He  addressed 
me  as  if  I  were  a  royal  personage,  and  asked  to  be 
allowed  to  present  his  Serene  Highness  Prince  Alexis 
Delgrado." 

The  man  smiled  constrainedly.  "  It  sounds  rather 
nonsensical,  doesn't  it  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Rudin  often  invents  titles.  I  have  heard  efforts 
much  more  amusing." 

"  That  is  when  he  is  original.  Unfortunately, 
in  my  case,  he  was  merely  accurate." 

Joan  whirled  round  on  him.  "  Are  you  a  Prince?  " 
she  gasped,  each  word  marking  a  crescendo  of 
wonder. 

"  Yes-^Toan." 

"But  what  am  I  to  do?  What  am  I  to  say? 
Must  I  drop  on  one  knee  and  kiss  your  hand?  " 

"  I  cannot  help  it,"  he  growled.  "  And  I  was 
13 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

obliged  to  tell  you.  You  would  have  been  angry 
with  me  if  I  had  kept  it  hidden  from  you.  Oh,  dash 
it  all,  Joan,  don't  laugh!  That  is  irritating." 

"  My  poor  Alec !  Why  did  they  make  you  a 
Prince?  " 

"  I  was  born  that  way.  My  father  is  one.  Do 
you  mean  to  say  you  have  lived  in  Paris  a  year  and 
have  never  seen  our  names  in  the  newspapers?  My 
people  gad  about  everywhere.  The  Prince  and  Prin- 
cess Michael  Delgrado,  you  know." 

"  I  do  not  know,"  said  Joan  deliberately. 

Her  alert  brain  was  slowly  assimilating  this  truly 
astonishing  discovery.  She  did  not  attempt  to  shirk 
its  significance,  and  her  first  thought  was  to  frame 
some  excuse  to  abandon  work  for  the  day ;  since,  no 
matter  what  the  cost  to  herself,  this  friendship  must 
go  no  farther.  The  decision  caused  a  twinge;  but 
she  did  not  flinch,  for  Joan  would  always  visit  the 
dentist  rather  than  endure  toothache.  She  could 
not  dismiss  a  Serene  Highness  merely  because  he  de- 
clared his  identity,  nor  was  she  minded  to  forget  his 
rank  because  she  had  begun  to  call  him  Alec.  But 
it  hurt.  She  was  conscious  of  a  longing  to  be  alone. 
If  not  in  love,  she  was  near  it,  and  hard-working 
artists  must  not  love  Serene  Highnesses. 

Delgrado  was  watching  her  with  a  glowering 
anxiety  that  itself  carried  a  warning.  "  You  see, 
Joan,  I  had  to  tell  you,"  he  repeated.  "  People 
make  such  a  fuss  about  these  empty  honors " 

Joan  caught  at  a  straw.  She  hoped  that  a 
•  14 


The  Fortune  Teller 

display  of  sarcastic  humor  might  rescue  her. 
"  Honors ! "  she  broke  in,  and  she  laughed  almost 
shrilly,  for  her  voice  was  naturally  sweet  and  har- 
monious. "  Is  it  an  honor,  then,  to  be  born  a 
Prince?" 

"  If  a  man  is  worth  his  salt,  the  fact  that  he  is 
regarded  as  a  Prince  should  make  him  princely." 

"  That  is  well  said.  Try  and  live  up  to  it.  You 
will  find  it  a  task,  though,  to  regulate  your  life  by 
copybook  maxims." 

"  The  princedom  is  worth  nothing  otherwise.  In 
its  way,  it  is  a  handicap.  Most  young  fellows  of  my 
age  have  some  sort  of  career  before  them,  while  I — I 
really  am  what  you  said  I  was,  an  idler.  I  didn't  like 
the  taunt  from  your  lips ;  but  it  was  true.  Well,  I 
am  going  to  change  all  that.  I  am  tired  of  postur- 
ing as  one  of  Daudet's  '  Kings  in  Exile.'  We  ex- 
pelled potentates  all  live  in  Paris;  that  is  the  irony 
of  it.  I  want  to  be  candid  with  you,  Joan.  I  have 
seen  you  every  day  since  we  met  at  Rudin's ;  but  I  did 
not  dare  to  meet  you  too  often  lest  you  should  send 
me  away.  You  have  given  me  a  purpose  in  life. 
You  have  created  a  sort  of  hunger  in  me,  and  I 
refuse  to  be  satisfied  any  longer  with  the  easygoing 
existence  of  the  last  few  years.  No,  you  must  hear 
me  out.  No  matter  what  you  say  now,  the  new 
order  of  things  is  irrevocable.  I  almost  quarreled 
with  my  father  last  night;  but  I  told  him  plainly 
that  I  meant  to  make  a  place  for  myself  in  the  world. 
At  any  rate,  I  refuse  to  live  the  life  he  lives,  and  I 

15 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

am  here  to-day  because  the  awakening  is  due  to  you, 
Joan." 

A  tremor  ran  through  the  girl's  limbs;  but  she 
faced  him  bravely.  Though  her  lips  quivered,  she 
forced  herself  to  utter  words  that  sounded  like  a 
jibe.  "  I  am  to  play  Pallas  Athene  to  your  Perseus," 
she  said,  and  it  seemed  to  him  for  a  moment  that 
she  was  in  a  mood  to  jest  at  heroics. 

"  If  you  mean  that  I  regard  you  as  my  goddess, 
I  am  well  content,"  he  answered  quickly. 

"  Ah,  but  wait.  Pallas  Athene  came  to  Perseus 
in  a  dream,  and  let  us  make  believe  that  we  are 
dreaming  now.  She  had  great  gray  eyes,  clear  and 
piercing,  and  she  knew  all  thoughts  of  men's  hearts 
and  the  secrets  of  their  souls.  My  eyes  are  not 
gray,  Alec,  nor  can  they  pierce  as  hers ;  but  I  can 
borrow  her  beautiful  words,  and  tell  you  that  she 
turns  he*r  face  from  the  creatures  of  clay.  They 
may  '  fatten  at  ease  like  sheep  in  the  pasture,  and 
eat  what  they  did  not  sow,  like  oxen  in  the  stall. 
They  grow  and  spread,  like  the  gourd  along  the 
ground;  but,  like  the  gourd,  they  give  no  shade  to 
the  traveler,  and  when  they  are  ripe  death  gathers 
them,  and  they  go  down  unloved  into  hell,  and  their 
name  vanishes  out  of  the  land.'  »But  to  the  souls 
of  fire  she  gives  more  fire,  and  to  those  who  are 
manful  she  gives  a  power  more  than  man's.  These 
are  her  heroes,  the  sons  of  the  Immortals.  They 
are  blest,  but  not  as  the  men  who  live  at  ease.  She 
drives  them  forth  '  by  strange  paths  .  .  .  through 

16 


The  Fortune  Teller 

doubt  and  need  and  danger  and  battle.  .  .  . 
Some  of  them  are  slain  in  the  flower  of  their  youth, 
no  man  knows  when  or  where,  and  some  of  them 
win  noble  names  and  a  fair  and  green  old  age.'  Not 
even  the  goddess  herself  can  tell  the  hap  that  shall 
befall  them ;  for  each  man's  lot  is  known  only  to  Zeus. 
Have  you  reflected  well  on  these  things,  Alec?  Be 
sure  of  yourseli"!  There  may  be  Gorgons  to  en- 
counter, and  monsters  of  the  deep." 

He  came  very  near  to  her.  Her  eyes  were  glisten- 
ing. For  one  glowing  second  they  looked  into  each 
other's  hearts. 

"  And  perhaps  a  maiden  chained  to  a  rock  to 
be  rescued,"  he  whispered. 

Then  she  drew  herself  up  proudly.  "  Do  not  for- 
get that  I  am  Pallas  Athene,"  she  said.  "  My  shield 
of  brass  is  an  easel  and  my  mighty  spear  a  mahl- 
stick ;  but — I  keep  to  my  role,  Alec." 

He  longed  to  clasp  her  in  his  arms ;  but  it  flashed 
upon  him  with  an  inspiration  from  topmost  Olympus 
that,  all  unwittingly,  she  had  bound  herself  to  his 
fortunes. 

"  Then  I  leave  it  at  that,"  he  said  quietly. 

This  sudden  air  of  confidence  was  bewildering. 
She  had  been  swept  off  her  feet  by  emotion,  and  the 
very  considerations  she  thought  she  had  conquered 
were  now  tugging  at  her  heart-strings.  He  must 
not  go  away  as  her  knight  errant,  eager  and  ready 
to  slay  dragons  for  her  sake. 

"  Do  not  misunderstand  me,"  she  faltered.  "  I 
17, 


A  Son  of  "the  Immortals 

was  only  quoting  a  passage  from  one  of  Kingsley's 
Greek  fairy  tales  that  has  always  had  a  peculiar 
fascination  for  me." 

"  I'll  get  that  story  and  read  it.  But  I  am  in- 
terfering with  your  work,  and  here  comes  your  friend, 
the  Humming  Bee.  If  he  said  anything  funny  to 
me  just  now,  I  should  want  to  strangle  him.  So 
good-by,  dear  Joan.  I  will  turn  up  again  to-morrow 
and  tell  you  how  I  fared  in  each  round." 

And  he  was  gone,  leaving  her  breathless  and 
shaken ;  for  well  she  knew  that  he  held  her  pledged 
to  unspoken  vows,  that  his  eager  confidences  would 
apply  alike  to  the  day's  sport  and  his  future  life. 
With  hands  that  trembled  she  essayed  a  further 
mixing  of  colors ;  but  she  scarcely  realized  what  she 
was  doing,  until  a  queer,  cracked  voice  that  yet  was 
musical  sang  softly  in  German  at  her  elbow: 

If  the  Song  should  chance  to  wander 
Forth  the  Minstrel  too  must  go. 

It  was  passing  strange  that  crooked  little  Felix 
Poluski,  ex-Nihilist,  the  wildest  firebrand  ever  driven 
out  of  Warsaw,  and  the  only  living  artist  who  could 
put  on  canvas  the  gleam  of  heaven  that  lights  the 
Virgin's  face  in  the  "  Immaculate  Conception," 
should  justify  his  nickname  of  Le  Bourdon  by  hum- 
ming those  two  lines. 

"  I  hope  you  are  not  a  prophet,  Felix,"  said  Joan 
with  a  catch  in  her  throat. 

18 


The  Fortune  Teller 

"  No,  ma  belle,  no  prophet,  merely  an  avenger,  a 
slayer  of  Kings.  I  see  you  have  just  routed  one." 

She  turned  and  looked  into  the  deepset  eyes  of 
the  old  hunchback,  and  for  the  first  time  noted  that 
they  were  gray  and  very  bright  and  piercing.  At 
the  same  time  the  fancy  crossed  her  mind  that  perhaps 
Henri  Quatre  had  had  blue  eyes,  bold  yet  tender, 
like  unto  Alec's. 

"  So  you  too  are  aware  that  Monsieur  Delgrado 
is  a  Prince?"  she  said,  letting  her  thought  bubble 
forth  at  random. 

"  Some  folk  call  him  that,  and  it  is  the  worst  thing 
I  know  of  him  so  far.  It  may  spoil  him  in  time ;  but 
at  present  I  find  him  a  nice  young  man." 

Joan  swung  round  to  her  picture.  "  If  Alec  had 
the  chance  of  becoming  a  King,  he  would  be  a  very 
good  one,"  she  said  loyally. 

Poluski's  wizened  cheeks  puckered  into  a  grin.  He 
glanced  at  the  easel  and  thence  to  the  picture  on 
the  wall. 

"  Perfectly,  my  dear  Joan,"  he  said.  "  And,  by  the 
bones  of  Kosciusko,  you  have  chosen  a  proper  subject, 
The  Fortune  Teller!  Were  you  filling  our  warrior 
with  dreams  of  empire?  Well,  well,  I  don't  know  which 
is  more  potent  with  monarchs,  woman  or  dynamite. 
In  Alec's  case  I  fancy  I  should  bet  on  the  woman. 
Here,  for  example,  is  one  that  shook  Heaven,  and 
I  have  always  thought  that  Eve  was  not  given  fair 
treatment,  or  she  would  surely  have  twisted  the  ser- 
pent's tail,"  and,  humming  the  refrain  of  "  Les  Demi- 

19 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

Vierges,"   he    climbed   the   small   platform   he   had 
erected  in  front  of  the  world  famous  Murillo. 

Back  to  back,  separated  by  little  more  than  half 
the  width  of  the  gallery,  Joan  and  Poluski  worked 
steadily  for  twenty  minutes.  The  Pole  sang  to  him- 
self incessantly,  now  bassooning  between  his  thin  lips 
the  motif  of  some  rhapsody  of  Lizst's,  now  murmur- 
ing the  words  of  some  catchy  refrain  from  the  latest 
review.  Anybody  else  who  so  transgressed  the  rules 
would  have  been  summarily  turned  out  by  the  guards ; 
but  the  men  knew  him,  and  the  Grande  Galerie,  de- 
spite its  treasures,  or  perhaps  because  of  them,  is  the 
least  popular  part  of  the  Louvre.  Artists  haunt  it ; 
but  the  Parisian,  the  provincial,  the  globe  trotter, 
gape  once  in  their  lives  at  Andrea  del  Sarto,  Titian, 
Salvator  Rosa,  Murillo  of  course,  and  the  rest  of  the 
mighty  dead,  and  then  ask  with  a  yawn,  "  Where 
are  the  Crown  Jewels?  " 

So  the  Humming  Bee  annoyed  none  by  his  hum- 
ming ;  but  he  stopped  short  in  an  improvised  variation 
on  the  theme  of  Vulcan's  song  in  "  Philemon  and 
Baucis  "  when  he  heard  a  subdued  but  none  the  less 
poignant  cry  of  distress  from  Joan.  In  order  to 
turn  his  head  he  was  compelled  to  twist  his  ungainly 
body,  and  Joan,  who  was  standing  well  away  from 
her  canvas,  was  aware  of  the  movement.  She  too 
turned. 

"  I  am  going,"  she  announced.  "  I  cannot  do 
anything  right  to-day.  Just  look  at  that  white 
feather ! " 

20 


The  Fortune  Teller 

"Where?" 

"  In  the  boy's  hat,  you  tease !  Where  else  would 
you  look?  " 

"  In  your  face,  belle  mignonne,"  said  the  Pole. 

It  was  true.  Joan  was  not  ill;  but  she  was  un- 
deniably low  spirited,  and  the  artist's  mood  has  a 
way  of  expressing  itself  on  the  palette.  She  laughed, 
with  a  certain  sense  of  effort. 

"  I  like  you  best  when  you  sing,  Felix.  Some- 
times, when  you  speak,  you  are  Infelix." 

"  By  all  means  go  home,"  he  grinned.  "  One  can- 
not both  joke  and  copy  a  Caravaggio." 

He  began  to  paint  with  feverish  industry,  did  not 
look  at  her  again,  but  tossed  an  adieu  over  his 
humped  shoulder  when  she  hurried  away.  Then  he 
gazed  reproachfully,  almost  vindictively,  at  the  up- 
lifted eyes  of  the  transfigured  Virgin. 

"  Now,  you !  "  he  growled.  "  Vous  etes  benie  entre 
toutes  les  femmes  J  This  affair  is  in  your  line. 
Why  don't  you  help?  Saperlotte!  The  girl  is 
worth  it." 


21 


CHAPTER  II 

MONSEIGNEUR 

THE  Wanderers  beat  Chantilly.  One  minute  be- 
fore the  close  of  the  fourth  chukkur  the  score  stood  at 
four  all.  Both  teams  were  playing  with  desperation 
to  avoid  a  decider  on  tired  ponies,  when  the 
Wanderers'  third  man  extricated  the  ball  from  a 
tangle  of  prancing  hoofs  and  clattering  sticks,  and 
Alec  Delgrado  got  away  with  it.  He  thought  his 
pony  was  good  for  one  last  run  at  top  speed,  that 
and  no  more.  Risking  it,  he  sprinted  across  two 
hundred  yards  of  green  turf  with  the  Chantilly 
Number  One  in  hot  chase.  His  opponent  was  a  stone 
lighter  and  better  mounted;  so  Alec's  clear  start 
would  not  save  him  from  being  overhauled  and  ridden 
off  ere  he  came  within  a  reasonable  striking  distance 
of  the  opposing  goalposts.  That  was  the  Chantilly 
man's  supreme  occupation, — some  experts  will  have 
it  that  the  ideal  Number  One  should  not  carry  a 
polo  stick, — and  the  pursuer  knew  his  work. 

A  hundred,  eighty,  sixty,  yards  in  front  Alec  saw 
a  goal  keeping  centaur  waiting  to  intercept  him. 
In  another  couple  of  strides  a  lean,  eager  head  would 
be  straining  alongside  his  own  pony's  girths.  So  he 

22 


Monseigneur 

struck  hard  and  clean  and  raced  on,  and  the  goal- 
keeper judged  the  flight  of  the  white  wooden  ball 
correctly,  and  smote  it  back  again  fair  and  straight. 

It  traveled  so  truly  that  it  would  have  passed 
Alec  three  feet  from  the  ground  to  drop  almost 
exactly  on  the  spot  whence  he  had  driven  it.  But 
there  was  more  in  that  last  gallop  along  the  smooth 
lawn  than  might  be  realized  by  any  one  present  save 
Alec  himself.  It  was  his  farewell  to  the  game.  From 
that  day  he  would  cease  to  be  dependent  on  a  be- 
grudged pittance  for  the  upkeep  of  his  stable,  and 
that  meant  the  end  of  his  polo  playing.  But  he 
was  not  made  of  the  stuff  that  yields  before  the 
twelfth  hour.  His  mallet  whirled  in  the  air,  there 
was  a  crack  like  a  pistol  shot,  and  the  ball  flew 
over  the  amazed  goalkeeper's  head  and  between  the 
posts. 

The  yelling  and  handclapping  of  the  few  spectators 
almost  drowned  the  umpire's  whistle. 

"  ^7  gad,  that  was  a  corker ! "  said  he  of  Chan- 
tilly,  as  the  ponies'  wild  gallop  eased  to  a  canter. 

"  I  hope  that  flourish  of  mine  did  not  come  too 
close,  Beaumanoir,"  said  Alec. 

"  Don't  give  a  tuppenny  now,"  laughed  Lord 
Adalbert  Beaumanoir.  "  The  match  is  over,  and 
you've  won  it,  and  if  you  play  till  Doomsday  you'll 
never  score  a  better  notch." 

"  It  was  lucky,  a  sheer  fluke." 

"Oh,  that  be  jiggered  for  a  yarn!  A  fellow 
flukes  with  his  eyes  shut.  You  meant  it !  " 

23 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

"  Yes,  that  is  right.  So  would  you,  Berty,  if  it 
was  your  last  knock." 

"  Well,  time's  up,  anyhow,"  said  Beaumanoir,  not 
comprehending. 

They  trotted  off  to  the  group  of  waiting  grooms. 
Delgrado  ran  the  gauntlet  of  congratulations,  for 
Paris  likes  to  see  Chantilly's  flag  lowered,  and  es- 
caped to  the  dressing  room.  He  gave  a  letter,  al- 
ready written  and  sealed,  to  an  attendant,  and  drove 
away  in  his  dogcart.  Bowling  quickly  along  the 
broad  Allee  de  Longchamps,  he  turned  into  the  Route 
de  1'Etoile,  and  so  to  the  fine  avenue  where  all  Paris 
takes  the  summer  air. 

He  found  himself  eying  the  parade  of  fashion  in 
a  curiously  detached  mood.  Yesterday  he  thought 
himself  part  and  parcel  of  that  gay  throng.  To-day 
he  was  a  different  being.  All  that  had  gone  before 
was  merged  in  "  yesterday's  seven  thousand  years." 

His  cob's  pace  did  not  slacken  until  he  drew  rein 
at  the  giant  doorway  of  a  block  of  flats  in  the  Rue 
Boissiere.  It  was  then  about  five  o'clock,  and  he 
meant  to  appear  at  his  mother's  tea  table.  He  was 
far  from  looking  the  "  limp  rag  "  of  his  phrase  to 
Joan.  Indeed,  it  might  have  taxed  the  resources 
of  any  crack  regiment  in  Paris  that  day  to  produce 
his  equal  in  condition.  Twenty-four  years  old, 
nearly  six  feet  in  height,  lean  and  wiry,  square 
wristed,  broad  shouldered,  and  straight  as  a  spear, 
he  met  the  physical  requirements,  at  least,  of  those 
classic  youths  beloved  of  Joan's  favorite  goddess. 

24 


Monseigneur 

Usually  his  clean  cut  face,  typically  American  in 
its  high  cheekbones,  firm  chin,  mobile  mouth,  and 
thoughtful  eyes,  wore  a  happy-go-lucky  expression 
that  was  the  despair  of  matchmaking  mamas;  but 
to-day  Alec  was  serious.  He  was  thinking  of  the 
promise  that  to  the  souls  of  fire  would  be  given  more 
fire,  to  the  manful  a  might  more  than  man's. 

If  he  had  not  been  so  preoccupied,  he  would  cer- 
tainly have  heard  the  raucous  shouts  of  newsboys 
running  frantically  along  the  boulevards.  That  is 
to  say,  he  heard,  but  did  not  heed,  else  some  shadow 
of  a  strange  destiny  must  have  dimmed  his  bright 
dreams. 

Their  nature  might  be  guessed  from  his  words 
to  Joan.  The  question  he  addressed  to  the  con- 
cierge proved  that  his  intent  was  fixed. 

"  Is  Monseigneur  at  home  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Out,  m'sieur.  His  Excellency  has  mounted  a 
little  half-hour  ago,"  said  the  man. 

Alec  nodded.     "  Now  for  it !  "  he  said  to  himself. 

His  father,  a  born  fop,  a  boulevardier  by  adoption, 
cultivated  habits  that  seemed  to  follow  the  mechan- 
ical laws  of  those  clockwork  manikins  that  ingenious 
horologists  contrive  for  the  amusement  of  children, 
big  and  little.  Whether  eating,  sleeping,  driving, 
strolling,  chatting  or  card  playing,  the  whereabouts 
and  occupation  of  Prince  Michael  Delgrado  could 
be  correctly  diagnosed  at  any  given  hour  of  the 
day  and  night.  Fortune  delights  at  times  in  tor- 
menting such  men  with  great  opportunities.  Prince 

25 


Michael,  standing  now  with  his  back  to  the  fireplace 
in  his  wife's  boudoir,  was  fated  to  be  an  early  re- 
cipient of  that  boon  for  which  so  many  sigh  in  vain. 

Of  course  he  knew  nothing  of  that.  His  round, 
plump,  rosy  face,  at  first  sight  absurdly  dispropor- 
tionate to  his  dapper  and  effeminate  body,  wore  a 
frown  of  annoyance.  In  fact,  he  had  been  obliged 
to  think,  and  the  effort  invariably  distressed  him. 
Apparently  he  had  a  big  head,  and  big  headed  men 
of  diminutive  frame  usually  possess  brains  and  en- 
joy using  them.  But  closer  inspection  revealed  that 
his  Highness'  skull  resembled  an  egg,  with  the  narrow 
end  uppermost. 

Thus,  according  to  Lavater,  he  was  richly  en- 
dowed with  all  the  baser  qualities  that  pander  to  self, 
and  markedly  deficient  in  the  higher  attributes  of 
humanity.  The  traits  of  the  gormand,  the  cynic, 
the  egoist,  were  there;  but  the  physiognomist  would 
look  in  vain  for  any  sign  of  genius  or  true  nobility. 
Recognition  of  his  undoubted  rank  had,  of  course, 
given  him  the  grand  manner.  That  was  unavoidable, 
and  it  was  his  chief  asset.  He  liked  to  be  addressed 
as  "  Monseigneur  " ;  he  had  a  certain  reputation  for 
wit;  he  carried  himself  with  the  ease  that  marks 
his  caste;  and  he  had  shown  excellent  taste  in  choos- 
ing a  wife. 

The  Princess  did  indeed  look  the  great  lady.  Her 
undoubted  beauty,  aided  by  a  touch  of  Western 
piquancy,  had  captivated  the  Paris  salons  of  an 
earlier  generation,  and  those  same  salons  repaid  their 

26 


Monseigneur 

debt  by  conferring  the  repose,  the  dignity,  the  subtle 
aura  of  distinction,  that  constitute  the  aristocrat 
in  outward  bearing.  For  this  reason,  Princess  Del- 
grado  was  received  in  poverty  stricken  apartments 
where  her  husband  would  be  looked  at  askance,  since 
the  frayed  Boulevard  Saint  Germain  still  shelters 
the  most  exclusive  circle  in  France. 

Here,  then,  was  an  amazing  instance  of  a  one-sided 
heredity.  Alexis  Belgrade  evidently  owed  both  mind 
and  body  to  his  mother.  Looking  at  the  Princess, 
one  saw  that  such  a  son  of  such  a  father  did  not 
become  sheerly  impossible. 

To-day,  unhappily,  neither  Prince  Michael  nor  his 
wife  was  in  tune  for  a  family  conclave.  Mon- 
seigneur was  ruffled,  distinctly  so,  and  Madame  was 
on  the  verge  of  tears. 

When  Alec  entered  the  room  he  was  aware  of  a 
sudden  silence,  accentuated  by  a  half-repressed  sob 
from  his  mother.  Instantly  he  took  the  blame  on 
his  own  shoulders.  He  expected  difficulties;  but  he 
was  not  prepared  for  a  scene. 

"  Why,  mother  dear,"  he  said,  bending  over  her 
with  a  tenderness  that  contrasted  strongly  with 
Prince  Michael's  affected  indifference,  "  what  is  the 
matter?  Surely  you  and  dad  have  not  been  worry- 
ing about  me !  You  can't  keep  me  in  the  nest  always, 
you  know.  And  I  only  want  to  earn  the  wherewithal 
to  live.  That  is  not  so  very  terrible,  is  it  ?  " 

The  distressed  woman  looked  up  at  him  with  a 
wan  smile.  She  seemed  to  have  aged  since  the 

27 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

morning.  There  was  a  pathetic  weakness  in  her 
mouth  and  chin  that  was  noticeably  absent  from  her 
son's  strong  lineaments,  and  it  occurred  to  Alec  with 
a  pang  that  he  had  never  before  seen  his  mother 
so  deeply  moved. 

"  I  suppose  one  must  endure  the  world's  changes," 
she  murmured.  "  It  was  foolish  on  my  part  to 
imagine  that  things  could  continue  forever  on  the 
same  lines ;  but  I  shall  not  grieve,  Alec,  if  no  cloud 
comes  between  you  and  me.  It  would  break  my 
heart " 

"  Oh,  come  now ! "  he  cried,  simulating  a  lively 
good  humor  he  was  far  from  feeling.  "  What  has 
dad  been  saying?  Clouds!  Where  are  they?  Not 
around  my  head,  at  any  rate.  I  have  dispelled  the 
only  one  that  existed,  the  silly  halo  of  class  that  stops 
a  fellow  from  working  because  he  happens  to  be 
born  a  Prince.  It  was  different  for  dad,  of  course. 
My  respected  grandfather,  Ferdinand  VII.,  was 
really  a  King,  and  dad  was  a  grown  man  when 
the  pair  of  them  were  slung  out  of  Kosnovia.  Sorry, 
sir ;  but  that  is  the  way  they  talk  history  nowadays. 
It  has  ceased  to  be  decorous.  I  am  afraid  Paris  is 
largely  responsible.  You  see,  we  have  an  Emperor 
in  the  next  block,  two  Kings  in  the  Avenue  Victor 
Hugo,  and  a  fugitive  ex-President  in  the  Hotel 
Metropole.  I  have  seen  the  whole  lot,  even  our  noble 
selves,  burlesqued  in  a  Montmartre  review.  And  I 
laughed!  That  is  the  worst  part  of  it.  I  roared! 
We  looked  such  a  funny  crew.  And  we  were  all 

28 


Monsdgneur 

jolly  hard  up,  borrowing  five-franc  pieces  from  one 
another,  and  offering  to  sell  scepters  at  a  ridiculous 
sacrifice.  That  came  rather  near  home.  We  haven't 
got  what  the  storybooks  calls  an  embarrassment  of 
riches,  have  we  ?  So,  a  cup  of  tea,  please,  mother,  and 
I'll  hear  the  Czar's  edict.  It  is  pending.  I  can  see 
it  in  his  eye." 

Usually  Prince  Michael  responded  to  that  sort  of 
airy  nonsense.  When  sure  of  his  audience,  he  had 
spoken  much  more  disrespectfully  of  the  Parisian 
band  of  Kings  in  exile.  But  to-day  his  chubby 
cheeks  refused  to  crease  in  a  grin.  He  remained 
morose,  oracular,  heavy  jowled.  In  fact,  he  had 
set  himself  a  very  difficult  task.  Now  that  the 
moment  had  arrived  for  its  fulfilment,  he  shirked 
it. 

"  May  I  ask,  Alec,  if  you  have  any  scheme  in 
view?  "  he  said,  strutting  on  the  hearthrug  in  front 
of  a  grate  filled  with  ferns.  He  always  stood  there, 
— in  winter  because  it  was  warm,  and  he  was  a  martyr 
to  chilblains;  in  summer  because  of  the  habit  con- 
tracted in  winter. 

"  Well,  sir,  candidly  speaking,  I  have  not.  But  I 
saw  in  a  newspaper  the  other  day  a  paragraph  of 
advice  to  a  young  man.  '  No  matter  how  small  your 
income  may  be,  live  within  it:  that  is  the  beginning 
of  wealth,'  it  said.  How  profound!  I  applied  it 
to  myself.  My  income  is  nil.  There  I  encountered 
a  serious  obstacle  at  the  very  start  of  the  Great 
Money  Stakes.  But " 

29 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

"  This  is  a  grave  discussion,  Alec.  I  have  that  to 
say  which  may  pain  you.  Pray  be  serious." 

"  Oh,  I  am — quite  serious.  My  ponies  and  the 
dogcart  are  in  Dumont's  catalogue  for  the  next  sale. 
I  resigned  my  membership  of  the  polo  club 
to-day.  To-morrow,  or  eke  to-night,  I  look  for 
a  job.  As  you,  mother  o'  mine,  have  heard 
men  say  in  your  beloved  west,  I'm  going  to  butt 
in." 

"  I — er — suppose  you — er — look  to  me  for  some 
assistance  ?  "  coughed  Prince  Michael. 

His  wife  rose.  Her  face  was  gray-white,  her 
eyes  blazed.  "  Alec  knows  we  are  poor.  Why  tor- 
ture him — and  me  ?  I  refuse  to  allow  it.  I  refuse !  " 
Her  voice  took  a  tragic  note,  thin  and  shrill ;  there 
was  a  pitiful  quivering  of  her  lips  that  wrung  her 
son's  heart,  and  he  was  utterly  at  a  loss  to  under- 
stand why  a  discussion  as  to  his  future  should  lead 
to  this  display  of  passion. 

"  But,  mother  darling,"  he  cried,  "  why  are  you 
grieving  so?  You  and  dad  must  maintain  a  certain 
state, — one  begins  by  assuming  that, — and  it  is  no 
secret  that  the  Delgrado  side  of  the  family  was  not 
blessed  with  wealth.  Very  well.  Let  me  try  to  ad- 
just the  balance — the  bank  balance,  eh?  Really, 
why  weep  ?  " 

Alec's  gallant  attempt  to  avert  the  storm  failed 
again.  His  Serene  Highness  muttered  words  in  a 
foreign  tongue  that  sounded  anything  but  serene. 
The  Princess  did  not  understand;  but  her  son  did. 

30 


Monseigneur 

His  brows  wrinkled,  and  the  good  humored  gleam  died 
out  of  his  eyes. 

"Perhaps,  sir,"  he  said  stiffly,  "this  subject 
had  better  be  discussed  when  my  mother  is  not 
present." 

Prince  Michael  looked  at  him  fixedly.  For  some 
reason  the  little  man  was  very  angry,  and  he  seemed 
to  resent  the  implied  slur  on  his  good  taste. 

"  I  am  determined  to  end  this  farce  once  and  for 
all,"  he  vowed.  "Before  you  joined  us,  I  told  the 
Princess " 

The  door  was  flung  open.  The  young  man  who 
had  followed  Joan  and  Alec  into  the  Louvre  that 
morning  rushed  in.  His  pink  and  white  face  was 
crimson  now,  and  his  manner  that  of  unmeasured, 
almost  uncontrollable  excitement.  He  gazed  at  them 
with  a  wildness  that  bordered  on  frenzy,  yet  it  was 
clear  that  their  own  marked  agitation  was  only  what 
he  expected  to  find. 

"Ah,  you  have  heard?"  he  snapped,  biting  at 
each  syllable. 

"Heard  what,  Julius?"  demanded  Monseigneur, 
with  an  instant  lowering  of  the  princely  mask,  since 
Julius  dabbled  in  stocks  and  was  reputed  well  to  do. 

"  The  news !     The  news  from  Kosnovia !  " 

Prince  Michael  affected  to  yawn.  "  Oh,  is  that 
all?  "he  asked. 

"All!  Grand  Dteu,  what  more  would  ypu  havep 
It  means — everything." 

"  My  good  Julius,  it  is  long  since  I  was  so  dis- 
Sl 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

turbecl.  What,  then,  has  happened?  The  Danube 
in  flood  is  no  new  thing." 

"  The  Danube !  "  and  the  newcomer's  voice  cracked. 
"  So  you  do  not  know — sire?  " 

The  little  word  seemed  to  have  the  explosive  force 
of  nitroglycerine.  Its  detonation  rang  through  the 
room  and  left  them  all  silent,  as  though  their  ears 
were  stunned  and  their  tongues  paralyzed.  Alec 
was  the  first  to  see  that  some  event  far  out  of  the 
common  had  reduced  his  cousin,  Count  Julius  Maru- 
litch,  almost  to  a  state  of  hysteria. 

"  We  are  at  cross  purposes,"  he  said  quietly. 
"  My  father,  like  the  rest  of  us,  read  this  morning's 
telegram  about  the  overflowing  of  the  river " 

Count  Marulitch  waved  his  hands  frantically.  He 
was  literally  beside  himself.  His  full  red  lips,  not 
at  all  unlike  those  of  the  youth  in  Joan's  picture, 
moved  several  times  before  sounds  came. 

"  It  is  at  least  my  good  fortune  to  be  the  first 
to  congratulate  my  King ! "  he  cried  at  last.  "  Be 
calm,  I  pray  you ;  but  a  tremendous  change  has  been 
affected  at  Delgratz.  Last  night,  while  Theodore 
and  the  Queen  were  at  dinner,  the  Seventh  Regiment 
mutinied.  It  was  on  guard  at  the  Schwarzburg. 
Officers  and  men  acted  together.  There  was  no 
resistance.  It  was  impossible.  Theodore  and  Helena 
were  killed !  "  This  man,  who  appealed  for  calmness, 
was  himself  in  a  white  heat  of  emotion. 

A  stifled  scream,  a  sob,  almost  a  groan,  broke 
from  the  Princess,  and  she  clung  to  her  son  as  though 


Monseigneur 

she  sought  protection  from  that  bloodthirsty  Seventh 
Regiment.  Prince  Michael,  fumbling  with  an  eye- 
glass, dropped  it  in  sheer  nervousness.  Alec,  throw- 
ing an  arm  round  his  mother,  recalled  the  hoarse 
yelling  of  the  newsboys  on  the  boulevards.  Was  it 
this  latest  doom  of  a  monarchy  that  they  were  bawl- 
ing so  lustily?  He  glanced  at  his  father,  and  the 
dapper  little  man  found  it  incumbent  on  him  to  say 
something. 

"  But,  Julius — is  this  true  ?  There  are  so  many 
canards.  You  know  our  proverb :  '  A  stone  that  falls 
in  the  Balkans  causes  an  earthquake  in  St.  Peters- 
burg.' " 

"  Oh,  it  is  true,  sire.  And  the  telegrams  declare 
that  already  you  have  been  proclaimed  King." 

"  I ! " 

Prince  Michael's  exclamation  was  most  unkingly. 
Rather  was  it  the  wail  of  a  criminal  on  being  told 
that  the  executioner  waited  without.  His  ruddy 
cheeks  blanched,  and  his  hands  were  outstretched  as 
if  in  a  piteous  plea  for  mercy.  There  was  a  tumult  of 
objurgations  in  the  outer  passage;  but  this  King  in 
spite  of  himself  paid  no  heed. 

"I?  "  he  gasped  again,  with  relaxed  jaws. 

"  You,  sire,"  cried  Marulitch.  "  Our  line  is  re- 
stored. There  will  be  fighting,  of  course ;  but  what 
of  that?  One  audacious  week  will  see  you  enthroned 
once  more  in  the  Schwarzburg.  Ah!  Here  come 
Stampoff  and  Beliani.  You  are  quick  on  my  heels, 
messieurs ;  but  I  promised  my  cabman  a  double  fare." 

33 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

A  scared  manservant,  vainly  endeavoring  to  pro- 
tect his  master's  private  apartments,  was  rudely 
thrust  aside,  and  a  fierce  looking  old  warrior  entered, 
followed  by  a  man  who  was  obviously  more  of  a 
Levantine  than  a  Serb.  The  older  man,  small,  slight, 
gray  haired,  and  swarthy,  but  surprisingly  active  in 
his  movements  for  one  of  his  apparent  age,  raced 
up  to  Prince  Michael.  He  fell  on  his  knees,  caught 
that  nerveless  right  hand,  and  pressed  it  to  his  lips. 

"  Thank  Heaven,  sire,  that  I  have  been  spared  to 
see  this  day !  "  he  exclaimed. 

The  Greek,  less  demonstrative,  nevertheless  knelt 
by  Stampoff's  side.  "  I  too  am  your  Majesty's  most 
dutiful  and  loyal  subject,"  said  he. 

The  Prince  did  then  make  a  supreme  effort  to  re- 
gain his  self  possession.  "  Thank  you,  General,"  he 
murmured,  "  and  you  also,  Monsieur  Beliani.  I  have 
only  just  been  told.  Theodore  and  Helena  both 
dead !  What  a  thing !  They  were  my  enemies ;  but 
I  am  shocked,  I  may  almost  say  grieved.  And  what 
am  I  to  do?  I  am  practically  powerless, — few 
friends,  no  money.  One  does  not  merely  pack  a  valise 
and  go  off  by  train  to  win  a  throne.  You  say  I  am 
proclaimed  King,  Julius.  By  whom?  Have  the  rep- 
resentatives met?  Is  there  an  invitation  from  the 
people?  " 

Stampoff  was  on  his  feet  instantly.  A  man  of 
steel  springs  and  volcanic  energy,  his  alertness  waged 
constant  war  against  his  years.  "  The  people !  "  he 
shouted.  "  What  of  them?  What  do  they  know? 

94 


Monseigneur 

There  is  talk  of  a  Republic.  Think  of  that !  Could 
folly  go  farther?  A  Republic  in  the  Balkans,  with 
Russia  growling  at  one  door,  Austria  picking  the  lock 
of  another,  and  the  Turk  squatting  before  a  third! 
No,  Monseigneur.  Start  from  Paris  to-night,  cross 
the  Danube,  reveal  yourself  to  your  supporters,  and 
you  will  soon  show  these  windbags  that  a  man  who 
means  to  rule  is  worth  a  hundred  demagogues  who 
exist  only  to  spout." 

His  Serene  Highness  was  slowly  but  surely  re- 
covering lost  ground.  He  grasped  the  eyeglass 
again,  and  this  time  gouged  it  into  its  accustomed 
crease. 

"  You,  Beliani,  you  are  not  one  to  be  carried  away 
by  emotion,"  he  said.  "  Count  Marulitch  spoke  of 
a  proclamation.  Who  issued  it?  Was  there  any 
authority  behind  it  ?  " 

"  God's  bones !  what  better  authority  is  there  than 
your  Majesty's?"  roared  Stampoff. 

But  the* Prince  extended  a  protesting  palm.  "  An 
excellent  sentiment,  my  friend;  but  let  us  hear 
Beliani,"  he  said. 

The  Greek,  thus  appealed  to,  seemed  to  find  some 
slight  difficulty  in  choosing  the  right  words.  "  At 
present,  everything  is  vague,  Monseigneur,"  he  said. 
"It  is  certain  that  a  battalion  of  the  Seventh  Regi- 
ment revolted  and  declared  for  the  Delgrado  dynasty. 
Two'  other  battalions  of  the  same  regiment  in  the 
capital  followed  their  lead.  But  the  Chamber  met 
this  morning,  and  there  was  an  expression  of  opinion 

35 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

in  favor  of  a  democratic  Government.  No  vote  was 
taken ;  but  the  latest  reports  speak  of  some  disorder. 
The  approaches  to  the  Schwarzburg  are  held  by 
troops.  There  are  barricades  in  the  main  streets." 

Prince  Michael's  hands  went  under  his  coattails. 
His  face  had  not  regained  its  claret  red  color,  and 
its  present  tint  suggested  that  it  had  been  carved  out 
of  a  Camembert  cheese ;  but  he  was  gradually  taking 
the  measure  of  current  events  in  Kosnovia. 

"  Barricades  seem  to  argue  decided  opinions,"  he 
said,  and  there  was  a  perceptible  tinge  of  cynicism 
in  the  phrase  that  j  arred  on  his  hearers. 

"  One  must  be  bold  at  times,"  muttered  Count 
Julius. 

General  Stampoff  was  chewing  an  end  of  his  long 
mustaches  in  impotent  wrath,  and  Beliani  merely 
shrugged. 

"  Of  course,  my  father  means  that  prudence  must 
be  allied  with  boldness,"  broke  in  Alec,  who  had 
placed  his  mother  in  a  chair  and  was  now  gazing 
sternly  at  Marulitch  as  if  he  would  challenge  the 
unspoken  thought.  , 

"  Exactly,  my  boy.  Well  said !  One  looks  before 
one  leaps,  that  is  it !  Now  I  am  not  so  young,  not 
so  young,  and  I  have  not  forgotten  the  pleasant 
ways  of  Kosnovia.  Theodore  thought  all  was  well; 
but  you  see  what  has  happened  after  thirty  years. 
Just  think  of  it.  A  lifetime !  Why,  I  came  to  Paris 
twenty-four  years  ago,  just  after  you  were  born, 
Alexis,  and  even  then  the  Obrenovitch  line  seemed  to 

36 


Momeigneur 

be  well  established.  And  here  you  are,  a  grown 
man,  and  Theodore  and  his  Queen  are  lying  dead  in 
the  Black  Palace.  It  gives  one  to  think.  Now,  our 
good  Stampoff  here  would  have  me  rush  off  and  buy 
a  ticket  for  Delgratz  to-night.  As  if  Austria  had 
not  closed  every  frontier  station  and  was  not  wait- 
ing to  pounce  on  any  Delgrado  who  turned  up  at 
this  awkward  moment  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
Danube ! " 

Beliani  was  stroking  his  nose ;  Stampoff  evidently 
meant  to  shorten  his  mustache  by  inches ;  and  Julius 
Marulitch  was  waxen,  and  thereby  rendered  more 
than  ever  like  a  clothier's  model. 

Alec  was  a  dutiful  son.  There  were  elements  in 
the  composition  of  the  senior  Delgrado  that  he  did 
not  admire;  but  he  had  never  before  suspected  his 
father  of  cowardice.  His  cousin  Julius,  whom  he 
thoroughly  disliked,  was  betraying  a  whole  world  of 
meaning  in  the  scorn  that  leaped  from  his  eyes,  and 
there  was  no  mistaking  the  thoughts  that  inspired 
the  furious  General  and  the  impassive  Greek.  For 
the  first  time  in  his  life,  Alec  despised  Prince  Michael. 
There  was  a  quickening  in  his  veins,  a  tingling  at 
the  roots  of  his  hair,  a  tension  of  his  muscles,  at  the 
repulsive  notion  that  a  Serene  Highness  might,  after 
all,  be  molded  of  common  clay.  And  in  that  spasm  of 
sheer  agony  he  remembered  how  Joan's  sweet  voice 
had  thrilled  him  with  the  message  of  Pallas  Athene. 
Was  he,  indeed,  one  of  those  sons  of  the  immor- 
tals whom  the  goddess  "  drives  forth  by  strange 

37 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

paths  .  .  .  through  doubt  and  need  and  danger 
and  battle  ?  "  Surely  some  such  hazardous  track  was 
opening  up  now  before  his  feet !  His  whole  nature 
was  stirred  in  unknown  depths.  It  seemed  to  him 
that  there  was  only  one  man  in  the  room  whose  words 
had  the  ring  of  truth  and  honest  purpose.  He 
strode  forward  and  caught  old  Paul  Stampoff  by  the 
shoulder. 

"  I'll  tell  you  what,"  he  said,  unconsciously  adopt- 
ing the  free  and  easy  style  of  speech  that  came 
naturally  to  him,  "  you  and  I  must  carry  this  thing 
through,  General !  My  father  is  glued  to  Paris,  you 
know.  He  has  lost  some  of  his  enthusiasm,  and 
one  must  be  enthusiastic  to  the  point  of  death  itself 
if  he  would  snatch  a  Kingdom  out  of  such  a  fire  as 
is  raging  now  in  Kosnovia.  Austria  has  never  seen 
me,  probably  has  never  even  heard  of  me.  I  can 
slip  through  her  cordon,  swim  ten  Danubes  if  need 
be.  What  say  you,  General?  Will  I  fill  the  bill? 
If  I  fail,  what  does  it  matter?  If  I  win — well,  we 
must  reverse  the  usual  order  of  things,  and  my  re- 
spected parent  can  step  into  my  shoes." 

"  Alexis,  I  am  proud  of  you "  began  Prince 

Michael  pompously ;  but  a  sigh  that  was  blended 
with  a  groan  came  again  from  his  wife,  and  Princess 
Delgrado  drooped  in  a  faint. 

Alec  lifted  her  in  his  arms  and  carried  her  to  a 
bedroom.  A  queer  silence  fell  on  the  four  men  in 
the  boudoir.  Even  his  Serene  Highness  was  dis- 
comfited, and  abandoned  his  position  on  the  hearth- 

38 


Monseigneur 

rug  to  gaze  out  of  the  window.  To  his  displeased 
surprise,  a  small  crowd  had  gathered.  A  man  was 
pointing  to  the  Delgrado  apartments.  Another  man, 
carrying  a  bundle  of  newspapers,  bore  one  of  the 
curious  small  Parisian  contents  bills,  but  its  heavy 
black  type  was  legible  enough :  "  Assassination  of  the 
King  and  Queen  of  Kosnovia!  King  Michael  in 
Paris ! " 

Alec,  having  given  the  Princess  to  the  care  of  her 
maid,  came  back.  He  found  his  father  looking  into 
the  street,  General  Stampoff  standing  on  the  hearth- 
rug, and  Count  Julius  whispering  something  in 
Beliani's  ear. 

"  My  mother  will  soon  be  all  right,"  he  announced 
cheerily.  "  She  was  a  bit  upset,  I  suppose,  by  our 
warlike  talk;  but  we  were  so  excited  that  we  forgot 
she  was  present.  Well,  father,  what  say  you  to  my 
proposal?  " 

Prince  Michael  turned.  His  face  was  no  longer 
in  the  light.  Perhaps  that  was  his  notion  when  he 
first  approached  the  window.  "  I  think  it  is  an  ex- 
cellent one,"  he  said.  "  Of  course,  there  is  a  re- 
grettable element  of  risk " 

"  But  what  are  we  to  understand  ? "  broke  in 
StampofPs  gruff  accents.  "  These  things  are  not 
to  be  settled  as  a  shopkeeper  appoints  an  agent. 
Does  your  Highness  renounce  all  claim  to  the  throne 
of  Kosnovia  in  favor  of  your  son  ?  " 

Words  have  a  peculiar  value  on  such  occasions. 
The  substitution  of  "  Highness  "  for  "  Majesty  "  was 

39 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

not  devoid  of  significance ;  for  Stampoff ,  though  loyal 
to  the  backbone,  was  no  courtier. 

"  No !  "  cried  Alec  sharply. 

"  Yes,"  said  Prince  Michael,  after  a  pause. 

Count  Julius  Marulitch  breathed  heavily,  and  Con- 
stantine  Beliani  threw  a  wary  eye  over  Alec. 

"  Good !  "  said  Stampoff.  "  That  clears  the  air. 
I  shall  be  ready  to  accompany  your  Majesty  by  the 
train  that  leaves  the  Gare  de  1'Est  at  seven- 
thirty  P.M." 

Prince  Michael  laughed  dryly.  "  You  see,"  he 
said.  "  I  was  sure  Stampoff  would  interfere  with 
my  dinner  hour." 

There  was  almost  a  touch  of  genius  in  the  remark. 
Its  very  vacuity  told  of  the  man's  exceeding  unfitness 
for  the  role  thrust  upon  him  by  certain  desperadoes 
in  the  far  off  Balkans. 

"  We  must  have  money,"  growled  Stampoff  with 
a  most  unflattering  lack  of  recognition  of  the  elder 
Delgrado's  humor. 

"  Ah !  "  said  Prince  Michael,  plunging  both  hands 
into  his  trousers'  pockets  and  keeping  them  there. 

"  How  much?  "  inquired  Beliani. 

"  To  begin  with,  fifty  thousand  francs.  After 
that,  all  that  can  be  raised." 

"  It  is  most  unfortunate,  but  my — er — investments 
have  been  singularly  unremunerative  of  late,"  said 
his  Serene  Highness. 

"  Why  fifty  thousand  francs?  "  inquired  Alec,  half 
choked  with  wrath  at  sight  of  his  father's  obvious 

40 


Monseigneur 

relief  when  the  terrifying  phantom  of  the  Black 
Castle  was  replaced  by  this  delectable  Paris.  Yet, 
with  it  all,  he  was  aware  of  a  consuming  desire  to 
laugh.  There  was  a  sense  of  utter  farce  in  thus 
disposing  of  the  affairs  of  nations  in  a  flat  in  the 
Rue  Boissiere.  He  recalled  the  exiled  potentates  of 
the  music  hall  review,  and  the  bitter  wit  of  the 
dramatist  was  now  justified.  It  was  ludicrous,  too, 
of  StampofF  to  address  him  as  "  your  Majesty." 

"  Even  Kings  must  give  bribes  occasionally,"  ex- 
plained the  impetuous  General. 

"  Or  promise  them,"  said  Count  Julius. 

"  Or  take  them,"  said  Beliani. 

"  If  I  am  to  be  a  King,  I  mean  to  dispense  with 
these  bad  habits,"  said  Alec.  "  We  need  our  railway 
fares  only,  General.  Once  at  Delgratz,  our  fickle 
Kosnovia  must  either  maintain  us  or  shoot  us.  In 
either  event,  we  are  provided  for." 

"  Still,  we  must  have  sufficient  funds  to  secure  a 
foothold,"  urged  StampofF. 

"  I  charge  myself  with  providing  ten  thousand 
francs,"  said  the  Greek. 

Alec  glanced  at  his  watch.  "  Give  the  money  to 
StampofF.  He  may  want  it.  I  do  not,"  he  said. 
"  Dumont,  though  a  horse  dealer,  is  fairly  honest. 
My  four  ponies  are  worth  another  ten,  and  he  will 
surely  pay  me  five,  cash  down.  We  meet  at  the  Gare 
de  1'Est.  Who  goes?  You,  Julius?" 

"  No,"  said  the  Count,  "  I  shall  follow  when  you 
have  made  a  beginning.  My  presence  would  hamper 

41 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

you  now.  I  am  too  well  known,  and  secrecy  is  all- 
important  until  you  are  at  the  head  of  the  army." 

Alec  turned  on  him  with  an  air  that  would  have 
delighted  Joan,  could  she  have  been  present. 

"  The  army !  "  he  cried.  "  I  know  nothing  of  lead- 
ing armies.  I  mean  to  place  myself  at  the  head  of 
the  people." 

"  Nonsense,  Alexis !  Make  for  the  troops.  They 
alone  can  make  or  mar  you,"  said  Prince  Michael. 

"  We  shall  settle  those  points  at  Delgratz,"  de- 
clared the  brusk  Stampoff.  "  You  will  bring  the 
money,  half  in  gold,  to  the  station  ?  "  he  added  to 
Beliani. 

"  Yes.  Gold  is  best.  For  the  remainder,  you  will 
want  Russian  notes." 

Something  seemed  to  be  troubling  the  august  mind 
of  Prince  Michael.  "  By  the  way,  my  dear  Beliani," 
he  began ;  but  the  Greek  awoke  into  a  very  panic  of 
action. 

"  Pray  forgive  me,  your  Highness,"  he  said.  "  If 
I  have  to  raise  such  a  large  sum  before  seven  o'clock 
I  cannot  lose  an  instant." 

"  I  shall  see  you  off  from  the  Gare  de  1'Est,"  cried 
Marulitch  hurriedly,  and  the  two  quitted  the  room  in 
company.  Alec  went  to  pay  a  brief  visit  to  his 
mother,  and  Prince  Michael  was  left  alone  with  the 
rugged  old  General.  Then,  for  a  few  seconds,  he 
became  a  man. 

"You  must  forgive  me,  Paul,"  he  said  huskily. 
"  I  am  not  fitted  for  the  work.  I  am  broken  down, 

42 


Monseigneur 

a  trifler,  a  worn  out  old  dandy.  You  have  got  the 
right  metal  in  Alexis.  See  to  it  that  he  does  not 
follow  my  example,  but  keeps  unstained  the  family 
name." 

"  God's  bones !  he  will  do  that  at  least,"  muttered 
Stampoff.  "  If  you  or  your  father  had  possessed 
half  his  spirit,  there  would  never  have  been  an  Obreno- 
vitch  on  the  throne  of  Kosnovia !  Ferdinand  VII., 
Michael  V.,  Alexis  III. !  By  the  patriarch!  somehow 
you  Delgrados  have  managed  at  last  to  breed  a 
King!" 


43 


CHAPTER  III 

IN   THE   ORIENT  EXPRESS 

AFTER  some  haggling,  Alec  wrung  four  thousand 
five  hundred  francs  out  of  Dumont.  Then,  at  five 
minutes  past  six,  he  jumped  into  a  cab  and  was  driven 
to  the  Place  de  la  Sorbonne. 

Of  course  he  had  ascertained  Joan's  address  easily. 
He  made  no  secret  of  the  fact  that  he  had  seen 
her  on  her  way  to  the  Louvre  nearly  every  day  of 
the  twenty  that  had  elapsed  since  their  first  meeting. 
His  knowledge  of  the  route  she  followed  advanced 
quickly  until  he  found  out  where  she  lived.  He 
would  not  have  dared  to  call  on  her  now,  if  it  had 
not  been  for  the  tremendous  thing  that  had  happened 
in  his  life ;  for  he  was  sure  he  would  become  King  of 
Kosnovia.  The  art  that  conceals  art  is  good;  but 
the  art  that  is  unconscious  of  artifice  is  better,  and 
never  had  soothsayer  arranged  more  effective  pre- 
liminaries for  astounding  prediction  than  sibyl  Joan 
herself. 

Paris,  too,  might  well  witness  the  rising  of  his 
star.  What  other  city  stages  such  memorials  to 
inspire  ambition?  Behind  him,  as  his  cab  sped  down 
the  Champs  Elysees,  rose  the  splendid  pile  of  the  Arch 

44 


In  the  Orient  Express 

of  Triumph;  in  front,  beyond  the  Place  de  la  Con- 
corde, the  setting  sun  gilded  a  smoke  blackened  frag- 
ment that  marked  the  site  of  the  Tuileries  ;  while  near 
at  hand  the  statue  of  France,  grief  stricken  yet  de- 
fiant, gazed  ever  and  longingly  in  the  direction  of 
her  lost  Provinces.  Here,  within  a  short  mile,  stood 
the  silent  records  of  three  Empires,  founded,  as  time 
counts,  within  a  few  years.  Two  were  already 
crumbled  to  the  dust.  The  survivor,  consolidated 
on  the  ruins  of  France,  flourished  beyond  the  Rhine. 

Perhaps,  if  read  aright,  these  portents  were  not 
wholly  favorable  to  one  about  to  try  his  luck  in 
that  imperial  game.  But  Alec,  though  a  good  deal 
of  a  democrat  at  heart,  was  cheered  by  the  knowledge 
that  so  long  as  the  world  recognizes  the  divine  right 
of  Kings,  no  monarch  by  descent  could  lay  better 
claim  to  a  throne  than  he.  And  he  was  young,  and 
in  love,  and  ready  to  believe  that  youth  and  love  can 
level  mountains,  make  firm  the  morass,  bridge  the 
ocean. 

He  wondered  how  Joan  would  take  his  great  news. 
He  thought  he  could  guess  her  attitude.  At  first  she 
would  urge  him  to  forget  that  such  a  person  as  Joan 
Vernon  existed.  Then  he  would  plead  that  she  was 
asking  that  which  was  not  only  impossible  but  utterly 
unheroic.  And  the  minutes  were  flying.  He  would 
remind  her  that  time  does  not  wait  even  for  Kings, 
nor  would  the  Orient  Express  delay  its  departure 
by  a  single  second  to  oblige  such  a  fledgling  potentate 
as  he. 

45 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

"  We  must  part  now,  my  sweet,"  he  would  say. 
"  I  am  going  to  demand  my  birthright.  When  I  am 
admittedly  a  King,  I  shall  send  for  you.  If  you  do 
not  answer,  I  shall  become  my  own  envoy.  You  will 
make  a  beautiful  Queen,  Joan.  You  and  I  together 
will  raise  Kosnovia  from  the  mire  of  centuries." 

Somewhat  stilted  lovemaking  this ;  but  what  was  a 
poor  fellow  to  do  who  had  been  taken  from  the  Rue 
Boissiere  and  plunged  into  empire  making,  all  in 
the  course  of  a  summer's  evening? 

He  crossed  the  Pont  Neuf  without  ever  a  look  at 
Henri  Quatre.  That  was  a  pity.  The  sarcastic 
Bearnais  grin  might  have  revealed  some  of  the  pitfalls 
that  lay  ahead.  At  any  rate,  the  King  of  Navarre 
could  have  given  him  many  instances  of  a  woman's 
fickleness — and  fickleness  was  the  ugly  word  that 
leaped  into  Alec's  puzzled  brain  when  an  ancient  dame 
at  Joan's  lodgings  told  him  that  Mademoiselle  and 
her  maid  had  gone  away  that  afternoon. 

"  Gone !     Gone  where  ?  "  he  asked  blankly. 

"  It  is  necessary  to  write,"  said  Madame,  and  shut 
the  door  in  his  face,  since  it  is  forbidden  in  the 
Quartier  for  good  looking  and  unknown  young  men 
to  make  such  urgent  inquiries  concerning  the  where- 
abouts of  discreet  young  women  like  Mademoiselle 
Joan. 

Leontine,  still  scrubbing,  came  to  the  rescue. 
Never  had  she  seen  any  one  so  distinguished  as  this 
Monsieur.  Mon  Dieul  but  it  was  a  pity  that  the  belle 
!A.mericaine  should^iave  packed  her  boxes  that  very 

46 


In  the  Orient  Express 

day !  And  diminutive  Leontine  was  romantic  to  the 
tips  of  her  stubby  fingers. 

"  M'sieu  wishes  to  know  where  he  will  find  the 
young  lady  who  lives  there?  "  said  she  archly,  jerk- 
ing her  head  and  a  broom  handle  toward  the  neigh- 
boring house. 

"  But  yes,  my  pretty  one,"  cried  Alec. 

"  Well,  Pauline  said — Pauline  is  her  domestic,  see 
you — said  they  were  going  to  the  forest  to  paint." 

"To  Fontainebleau?" 

"  Perhaps,  m'sieu' — to  the  forest,  that  was  it." 

"  No  name?     Barbizon?  " 

"  It  might  be.  I  have  no  head  for  those  big  words, 
m'sieu'." 

Alec  gave  her  a  five-franc  piece.  It  was  the  first 
coin  he  found  in  his  pocket,  and  the  sight  of  it  caused 
a  frown.  Confound  those  Montmartre  playwrights! 
Why  was  their  stupid  travesty  constantly  recurring 
to  his  mind  ?  He  frowned  again,  this  time  at  Auguste 
Comte's  smugness,  and  looked  at  his  watch.  Twenty- 
five  minutes  to  seven!  It  was  too  late  now  to  do 
other  than  write — if  he  succeeded.  If  not — ah,  well ! 
"  Some  of  them  are  slain  in  the  flower  of  their 
youth."  At  least,  she  would  remember,  and  those 
glorious  eyes  of  hers  would  glisten  with  tears,  and 
the  belief  helped  to  console  him.  Still,  he  was  sad- 
dened, disappointed,  almost  dulled.  Doubt  came 
darkly  with  the  dispelling  of  the  dream  that  he  might 
commence  his  Odyssey  with  Joan'*  first  and  farewell 
kiss  on  his  lips.  Love  and  ambition  seemed  to  be  at 

47. 


variance;  but  love  had  flown,  whereas  ambition  re- 
mained. 

Back,  then,  to  the  Rue  Boissiere,  to  an  uproar  of 
visitors,  sightseers,  journalists.  Prince  Michael  had 
become  Monseigneur  again.  He  was  holding  a  re- 
ception. Alec,  pressing  through  the  throng,  was 
waylaid  by  a  servant. 

"  This  way,  monsieur,"  whispered  the  man,  draw- 
ing him  into  a  passage  and  thence  to  the  room  of 
Princess  Delgrado.  Alec  was  soothing  his  mother's 
grief  when  his  father  entered  secretly  on  tiptoe  with 
the  hushed  voice  and  stealthy  air  of  a  conspirator. 
He  carried  a  parcel,  long  and  narrow,  wrapped  in 
brown  paper. 

"  I  have  been  consumed  with  anxiety,"  said  he. 
"  Julius  came  and  warned  me  that  your  departure 
from  Paris  ought  to  be  incognito.  This  is  wise;  so 
I  remain  King-elect  till  you  reach  Delgratz.  The 
newspapers  are  pestering  me  to  declare  a  program. 
They  all  expect  that  I  shall  leave  Paris  to-night  or 
ffarly  to-morrow.  Indeed,  an  impudent  fellow  repre- 
senting *  Le  Soir '  says  that  if  I  don't  bestir  myself 
I  shall  be  christened  the  Sluggard  King.  But  I 
shall  humbug  them  finely.  Leave  that  to  me.  Your 
portmanteaus  have  been  smuggled  out  by  way  of  the 
servants'  quarters,  and  you  must  vanish  unseen.  Buy 
a  ticket  for  Vienna,  ignore  Stampoff  during  the 
journey,  accept  my  blessing,  and  take  this."  He  held 
out  the  parcel. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  inquired  Alec. 
48 


In  the  Orient  Express 

"  My  father's  sword,  your  grandfather's  sword. 
I  have  kept  it  bright  for  you." 

Alec  squirmed.  He  knew  the  weapon,  a  curved 
simitar  inlaid  with  gold,  and  reposing  in  a  scabbard 
of  gilt  metal  and  purple  velvet.  In  its  wrapping  of 
brown  paper  and  twine  it  suspiciously  resembled  a 
child's  toy,  and  Prince  Michael's  grandiloquent  man- 
ner added  a  touch  of  buffoonery  to  a  farewell  scene 
made  poignant  by  a  woman's  tears. 

"  I  shall  use  it  only  on  the  skulls  of  eminent  per- 
sonages," said  Alec  gravely.  In  truth,  this  Parisian 
kingship  was  rapidly  becoming  farcical.  What  a 
line,  what  a  situation,  for  that  review! 

But  there  was  worse  to  come.  Checked  in  his  out- 
burst of  family  pride,  Monseigneur  became  practical. 
"  What  of  Dumont?  "  said  he. 

"  He  was  touched ;  but  he  knocked  off  five  hundred 
francs." 

"  Ah,  bah !  I  rather  hoped — well,  I  must  return 
to  the  salon  and  play  my  part.  Remember,  you 
will  see  no  one  except  a  servant  at  the  Gare  de  1'Est. 
Julius  has  arranged  passports,  everything." 

"  He  is  taking  an  extraordinary  interest  in  me. 
Of  course,  if  I  pull  through,  he  becomes  heir  pre- 
sumptive." 

"  Parbleu !  That  is  so.  But — you  will  marry. 
Bide  your  time,  though.  Choose  a  Queen  who — " 
his  shifty  eyes  fell  on  the  trembling  form  of  his  wife, 
who  had  remained  strangely  silent  during  this  some- 
what strained  interview, — "  who  will  be  as  good  a  wife 

49 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

to  you  as  your  mother  has  been  to  me.  Farewell! 
may  God  guard  you !  " 

Twice  in  one  day  had  the  pompous  little  man  been 
betrayed  into  an  avowal  of  honest  sentiment.  But 
he  soon  recovered.  Once  reestablished  on  the  hearth- 
rug, with  his  eyeglass  properly  adjusted,  his  hands 
tucked  under  his  coattails  when  they  were  not  em- 
phasizing some  well  turned  phrase,  Prince  Michael 
enjoyed  himself  hugely. 

And  then  Alec  clasped  his  mother  in  his  arms. 
She  was  almost  incoherent  with  terror.  Bid  him  re- 
main she  dare  not;  she  lacked  the  force  of  character 
that  such  a  step  demanded.  She  had  given  too  many 
years  to  this  chimera  of  royalty  now  suddenly  grown 
into  a  monster  to  be  sated  only  by  the  sacrifice  of 
her  son!  But  she  mourned  as  if  he  was  already 
dead,  and  a  lump  rose  in  Alec's  throat.  He  had 
always  loved  his  mother;  his  father  had  ever  been 
remote,  a  dignified  trifler,  a  poser.  The  three  held 
nothing  in  common.  It  could  hardly  be  doubted  that 
every  good  quality  of  mind  and  body  the  boy  pos- 
sessed was  a  debt  to  the  brokenhearted  woman  now 
clinging  to  him  in  a  very  frenzy  of  lamentation. 
Small  wonder  if  his  eyes  were  misty  and  his  voice 
choked.  Ah!  if  Joan  but  knew  of  this  sorrowing 
mother's  plight,  surely  she  would  come  to  her! 

At  last  he  tore  himself  away.  Grasping  that 
ridiculous  parcel,  he  hurriedly  descended  a  back  stair- 
case. Owing  to  the  paternal  watchfulness  that  the 
French  Government  exercises  over  its  subjects,  he 

50 


In  the  Orient  Express 

was  obliged  to  pass  the  concierge;  but  none  paid 
heed  to  him.  If  it  came  to  that,  all  Paris  would 
guffaw  at  the  notion  of  dear  Alec  becoming  a  fili- 
buster. 

He  hailed  a  passing  cab.  If  he  would  catch  his 
train,  they  must  drive  furiously,  which  is  nothing  new 
in  Paris.  Climbing  the  Rue  La  Fayette,  he  passed 
Count  Julius  Marulitch  and  Constantine  Beliani  com- 
ing the  other  way  in  an  open  victoria.  They  were 
so  deeply  engaged  in  conversation  that  they  did  not 
see  him.  Julius  was  talking  and  the  Greek  listening. 
It  flashed  into  Alec's  mind  that  the  presence  in  Paris 
of  the  Greek  on  the  very  day  of  the  Delgratz  regicide 
offered  a  most  remarkable  coincidence.  Beliani  was 
no  stranger  to  him,  since  he  and  General  Stampoff, 
the  one  as  Finance  Minister  and  the  other  as  Com- 
mander in  Chief,  were  exiled  from  Kosnovia  after 
an  abortive  revolution  ten  years  ago. 

But  Beliani  usually  lived  in  Vienna,  indeed,  he  was 
sometimes  regarded  as  an  active  agent  in  Austria's 
steady  advance  on  Salonica, — whereas  dear  old  Paul 
Stampoff  hated  Austria,  was  a  frequent  visitor  to 
the  Delgrado  receptions,  and  it  was  largely  to  his 
constant  urging  and  tuition  that  Alec  owed  his 
familiarity  with  the  Slav  language.  The  Greek,  it 
was  evident,  heard  of  the  murders  at  the  earliest 
possible  moment;  Julius  too  was  singularly  well  in- 
formed, though  his  interest  in  Kosnovian  affairs  had 
long  seemed  dormant;  even  the  fiery  Stampoff  was 
no  laggard  once  the  news  was  bruited.  Alec  went 

51 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

so  far  as  to  fix  the  exact  time  at  which  Julius  ap- 
peared in  the  Rue  Boissiere.  He  knew  something 
of  the  ways  of  newspapers,  and  was  well  aware  that 
no  private  person  could  hope  to  obtain  such  im- 
portant intelligence  before  the  press.  He  himself 
had  unwittingly  heard  the  first  public  announcement 
of  the  tragedy,  and  the  three  men  had  certainly  lost 
no  time  in  hurrying  to  greet  their  new  sovereign. 

What  a  madly  inconsequent  jumble  it  all  was! 
Little  more  than  two  hours  ago  he  was  driving 
through  the  Bois  with  no  other  notion  in  his  brain 
than  to  seek  a  means  of  earning  a  livelihood;  yet 
here  he  was  at  the  Gare  de  1'Est  carrying  a  sword 
as  a  symbol  of  kingship.  A  sword,  wrapped  in  brown 
paper,  tied  with  string!  Suppose,  by  some  lucky 
chance,  Joan  met  him  now,  would  she  sympathize,  or 
laugh? 

He  found  his  father's  valet  waiting  with  his  lug- 
gage near  the  ticket  office.  The  man  gave  him  an 
envelop.  It  contained  a  passport,  vised  by  the  Turk- 
ish Embassy,  and  a  few  scribbled  words: 

Note  the  name.     It  is  the  nearest  to  your  initials  B.  could 
procure.    I  shall  come  to  you  on  the  train.    Destroy  this.    S. 

The  name  was  that  on  the  passport,  "  Alexandre 
George  Delyanni ;  nationality,  Greek ;  business,  carpet 
merchant;  destination,  Constantinople." 

Alec  smiled.  The  humor  of  it  was  steeling  him 
against  the  canker  of  Joan's  untimely  disappearance. 
"  I  don't  look  much  like  a  Greek,"  he  said  to  himself ; 

52 


In  the  Orient  Express 

"  but  the  '  Alexandre  '  sounds  well  as  an  omen.  I'm 
not  so  sorry  now.  This  business  would  tickle  Joan 
to  death." 

So,  on  the  whole,  it  was  a  resigned  if  not  light- 
hearted  adventurer  who  disposed  himself  and  his  be- 
longings in  the  Orient  Express,  after  experiencing 
the  singular  good  luck  of  securing  a  section  in  the 
sleeping  car  returned  by  a  Viennese  banker  at  the 
last  moment.  He  went  about  the  business  of  buying 
his  ticket  and  passing  the  barrier  with  a  careless  ease 
that  would  have  excited  the  envy  of  a  Russian  Terror- 
ist. Sharp  eyes  attend  the  departure  of  every  in- 
ternational train  from  Paris ;  but  never  a  spy  gave 
more  than  casual  scrutiny  to  this  broad  shouldered 
youth  strolling  down  the  platform,  the  latest  pas- 
senger to  arrive,  and  the  least  flurried. 

He  neither  saw  nor  looked  for  Stampoff.  Having 
a  minute  to  spare,  he  obtained  a  newspaper,  took  a 
seat  voucher  for  the  first  dinner,  lighted  a  cigarette, 
entered  his  reserved  compartment,  arranged  his  lug- 
gage, and  burnt  General  Stampoff 's  scrawl  just  as 
the  train  moved  out  of  the  station. 

Then  he  read  an  account  of  the  Delgratz  crime, — 
for  it  was  only  a  crime,  a  brutal  and  callous  murder, 
not  worthy  to  be  dignified  by  the  mantle  of  political 
hate.  The  unhappy  King  and  Queen  of  Kosnovia 
were  dining  in  company  with  the  Queen's  brother  and 
the  Minister  of  Ways  and  Communications  when  the 
regiment  on  duty  in  the  palace  burst  in  on  them. 
King  Theodore  was  shot  down  while  endeavoring  to 

53 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

protect  the  Queen.  She  too  fell  riddled  with  bullets, 
and  both  corpses  were  flung  into  a  courtyard.  The 
unhappy  guests  were  wounded,  and  still  remained 
prisoners  in  the  hands  of  the  regicides,  who  vaunted 
that  they  had  "  saved  "  the  country,  and  meant  to  re- 
store the  ancient  sovereignty. 

Beliani's  summary  of  subsequent  events  was  accu- 
rate; but  it  struck  Alec  at  once  that  he  had  said 
nothing  of  the  minister  nor  of  Sergius  Vottisch, 
Queen  Helena's  brother,  who  was  mainly  instrumental 
in  defeating  Beliani's  half-forgotten  revolt.  Did  he 
know  of  their  presence?  How  peculiar  that  he 
should  utter  no  word  of  triumph  concerning  Vottisch ! 

Alec  threw  aside  the  paper.  He  was  sick  at  heart. 
He  loathed  the  thought  that  the  first  step  toward  his 
throne  lay  across  the  body  of  a  woman. 

"  Nice  guards,  the  noble  Seventh  Regiment !  "  he 
muttered.  "  Now,  when  I  am  King " 

Then  he  realized  that  during  the  few  minutes  that 
had  elapsed  since  the  train  started,  the  whole  aspect 
of  the  adventure  had  changed  completely.  It  was 
no  longer  a  snatch  of  opera  bouffe,  a  fantastic  con- 
ceit engendered  in  the  brain  of  that  elderly  beau 
whom  he  had  left  in  the  Rue  Boissiere,  a  bit  of  stage 
trifling  happily  typified  by  the  property  sword.  It 
had  become  real,  grim,  menacing.  It  reeked  of  blood. 
Its  first  battle  was  there,  recorded  in  the  newspaper. 
He  pictured  those  brutal  soldiers  mauling  the  warm 
bodies,  thrusting  them  through  an  open  window  and 
proclaiming  their  loyalty — to  him! 

54 


In  the  Orient  Express 

The  train  was  rushing  through  an  estate  noted  for 
its  game,  and  he  had  been  one  of  a  party  of  guns  in 
its  coverts  last  October.  He  remembered  shooting  a 
pheasant  of  glorious  plumage,  and  saying :  "  Ah ! 
What  a  pity !  I  ought  to  have  spared  him,  if  only 
on  account  of  his  coat  of  many  colors." 

"  When  birds  are  flying  fast,  even  you,  Alec,  have 
to  shoot  passim"  said  a  witty  Hebrew,  and  Belgrade 
did  not  appreciate  the  mot  until  some  one  told  him 
that  passeem  in  Hebrew  meant  "  patchwork,"  and 
that  Jacob's  offense  to  Joseph's  brethren  lay  in  the 
gift  of  a  Prince's  robe  to  his  favorite  son. 

The  quip  came  to  mind  now  with  sinister  signifi- 
cance; he  wished  most  heartily  he  had  missed  that 
pheasant.  It  was  quite  a  relief  when  dinner  was 
announced,  and  he  made  his  way  to  the  dining  car, 
where  a  polyglot  gathering  showed  that  although 
the  Orient  Express  had  not  quitted  Paris  fifteen 
minutes  it  had  already  crossed  many  frontiers.  There 
were  few  French  or  English  on  board,  and  not  one 
American.  A  couple  of  Turks,  a  Bulgarian,  a 
sprinkling  of  Russians  and  Levantines,  and  a  crowd 
of  Teutons,  either  German  or  Austrian,  made  up  the 
company.  Stampoff  remained  invisible,  and  Alec 
shared  a  table  with  an  Armenian,  who  insisted  on 
speaking  execrable  English,  though  he  understood 
French  far  better. 

Then  this  newest  of  all  Kings  felt  very  lonely,  and 
he  began  to  understand  something  of  the  isolation 
that  would  surround  him  in  that  Black  Castle  of  his 

55 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

daydream,  where,  if  all  went  well  with  him,  he  alone 
would  be  the  "  foreigner."  A  longing  for  compan- 
ionship came  upon  him.  He  wanted  some  one  who 
would  laugh  and  talk  airy  nonsense,  some  one  whose 
mind  would  not  be  running  everlastingly  in  the  polit- 
ical groove,  and  an  irresistible  impulse  urged  him  to 
ask  for  a  telegraph  form  and  write: 

BEAUMANOIH,  Villa  Turquoise,   Chantilly. 
Come  and  join  in  the  revel.  ALEC. 

He  gave  the  message  to  an  attendant,  bidding  him 
despatch  it  from  Chalons.  He  reasoned  that  Beau- 
manoir  would  be  puzzled,  would  call  at  the  Rue 
Boissiere,  see  his  father,  and  solve  the  mystery.  In 
all  likelihood,  Lord  Adalbert,  who  cheerfully  answered 
to  the  obvious  nickname — would  accept  the  invita- 
tion, and  by  the  time  he  reached  Delgratz  the  succes- 
sion to  the  throne  of  Kosnovia  would  be  in  a  fair 
way  toward  settlement.  Moreover,  by  depriving  the 
Chantilly  team  of  their  crack  Number  One,  Alec 
would  equalize  matters  for  the  Wanderers,  and  the 
love  of  sport  is  ever  the  ruling  passion  in  healthy 
and  vigorous  youth. 

"  By  gad !  "  he  said  to  himself,  "  I'm  showing  craft 
already.  That  is  a  Machiavellian  wire !  " 

It  was,  as  it  happened,  a  stroke  worthy  of  the 
wily  Florentine  himself;  but  neither  he  nor  his  latest 
pupil  could  possibly  have  estimated  its  true  bearing 
on  events. 

56 


In  the  Orient  Express 

After  dinner  Stampoff  found  him.  Delgrado  was 
astounded  at  first.  Stampoff,  shorn  of  his  immense 
mustache,  ceased  to  be  a  General.  In  fact,  the  wiz- 
ened, keen  faced  old  man  bore  a  striking  resemblance 
to  a  certain  famous  actor  of  the  Comedie  Fran9aise ; 
but  he  was  not  seated  in  Alec's  compartment  ten  sec- 
onds with  the  door  closed  ere  he  showed  that  the  loss 
of  his  warrior  aspect  had  in  no  way  tamed  his  heart. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  passing  a  lean  hand  over  his  blue- 
black  upper  lip,  "  it  was  necessary  to  disguise  myself. 
Ten  years  are  not  so  long,  and  I  am  known  on  the 
Danube.  You  see,  we  must  get  through  to  Delgratz 
and  the  Schwarzburg.  Once  there,  with  three  thou- 
sand bayonets  behind  us,  we  can  do  things.  Leave  the 
fighting  to  me,  your " 

He  stopped,  and  glanced  at  a  fat  Turk  lumbering 
along  the  corridor. 

"  Exactly,  my  dear  old  friend,"  said  Alec. 
"  Drop  titles,  please,  until  we  have  a  right  to  use 
them.  Even  then  they  can  be  left  to  gentlemen 
ushers  and  court  chamberlains.  Alec  and  Paul  sound 
better,  anyhow.  But  you  were  outlining  a  scheme. 
I  go  with  you  as  far  as  Delgratz ;  but  those  bayonets 
in  the  Schwarzburg  will  not  be  behind  me,  I  hope. 
Some  of  them  may  come  within  measurable  distance 
of  my  manly  chest;  but  even  that  is  improbable,  for 
I  have  always  noticed  that  vulgar  assassins  are 
cowards." 

StampofF's  bushy  eyebrows  had  been  spared,  and 
they  formed  a  hairy  seam  now  straight  across  eyes 

57 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

and  nose.  "  You  forget,  perhaps  you  do  not  know, 
that  these  men  alone  have  actually  declared  for  you — 
for  a  Belgrade,"  he  growled. 

"  And  a  pretty  gang  of  cutthroats  they  must  be ! 
I  read  the  details  after  leaving  Paris.  That  poor 
woman,  Paul !  She  was  pretty  and  vivacious,  I  have 
been  told.  Just  picture  the  scene  in  the  dining  hall. 
One  woman,  three  unarmed  men,  the  King  leaping  up 
and  endeavoring  to  shield  her — and  the  gallant  Sev- 
enth firing  volleys  at  them.  Then,  when  the  last  sob 
is  uttered,  the  last  groan  stilled,  husband  and  wife 
are  pitched  to  the  dogs.  Oh,  it  makes  my  blood 
boil !  By  the  Lord !  when  I  am  King  I  shall  hang  the 
whole  crew ! " 

He  spoke  very  quietly.  Any  one  looking  through 
the  window  in  the  upper  half  of  the  door  would  have 
seen  a  young  man  seemingly  telling  an  older  one 
something  of  ordinary  import.  But  the  words  were 
crisp  and  hot.  They  came  like  drops  of  molten  steel 
from  the  furnace  of  his  heart. 

Stampoff's  thin  face  grew  swarthier.  He  bent 
forward,  his  hands  on  his  knees.  "  Will  you  tell  me 
why  you  are  going  to  Delgratz  ?  "  he  asked  with  a 
curious  huskiness  in  his  voice. 

"  To  occupy  a  throne — or  a  tomb.  In  either  event, 
I  am  only  copying  the  example  of  the  vast  majority 
of  my  revered  ancestors." 

"  The  throne  is  yours  by  right.  Theodore  has 
fallen  almost  precisely  as  your  grandfather  fell. 
Ferdinand  was  shot,  and  escaped  with  his  life  only 

58 


In  the  Orient  Express 

because  there  was  a  struggle  and  a  few  faithful  fol- 
lowers carried  him  into  safety." 

"  If  I  depended  on  the  fealty  of  the  Seventh  Regi- 
ment, I  should  not  expect  to  find  even  the  faithful 
few.  Poor  Theodore  may  have  looked  for  them; 
but  they  did  not  exist." 

"  Then  we  had  better  leave  the  train  at  Chalons 
and  return  to  Paris." 

"  Certainly,  if  the  butchers  of  the  Schwarzburg 
are  to  form  my  cohort." 

"  God's  bones !  never  have  I  been  so  mistaken  in 
a  man!  Your  father,  now, — one  feared  he  might 
have  lost  his  nerve, — but  you,  Alec !  The  devil  take 
it!  I  thought  better  of  you.  I  suppose  then,  it  will 
have  to  be  Marulitch." 

"  Julius  !     Is  he  a  candidate — or  a  rival  ?  " 

Stampoff  paused,  irresolute.  He  was  deeply 
troubled,  and  his  fierce  eyes  searched  Belgrade's 
face.  "  I  had  real  hope  of  you,"  he  muttered.  "  You 
would  appeal  to  the  women,  and  they  are  ever  half 
the  battle.  Why  are  you  so  squeamish ?  You  needn't 
embrace  the  men  of  the  Seventh.  You  can  use  them, 
and  kick  them  aside.  That  is  the  fate  of  ladders 
that  lead  to  thrones.  I  know  it.  I  am  old  enough 
not  to  care." 

"  I  am  not  thinking  of  ladders  as  yet,  Paul. 
Sufficient  for  the  day  is  the  foundation  thereof,  and 
I  refuse  to  build  my  Kingdom  on  the  broken  vows  of 
traitors." 

"  Ha !  Stupid  words !  The  ravings  of  cheap 
59 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

philosophers!  By  your  own  showing,  I  am  a 
traitor." 

"  Yes,  but  an  honest  one.  You  fought  fairly  and 
were  beaten.  Were  it  otherwise,  Theodore  would 
never  have  tried  so  often  to  tempt  you  to  his  service." 

The  General  flung  himself  back  in  the  carriage  and 
folded  his  arms.  The  steel  spring  was  relaxed.  He 
was  baffled,  and  the  weariness  of  life  had  suddenly 
enveloped  him  in  its  chilling  fog.  "  Very  well,  then. 
We  descend  at  Chalons,"  he  said,  with  a  sigh  that  was 
a  tribute  to  adverse  fate. 

"  Having  paid  for  your  ticket,  you  may  as  well 
come  on  to  Vienna,"  said  Alec  with  irritating  com- 
posure. 

"  Curse  Vienna !  Why  should  I  take  that  long 
journey  for  nothing?  " 

"  To  oblige  me." 

"  You'll  drive  me  crazy.     How  will  it  oblige  you  ?  " 

"  Because  I  am  going  to  Delgratz,  General,  and 
there  is  a  whole  lot  of  things  I  want  to  ask  you." 

Stampoff  bounced  up  again.  "  Will  you  be  so 
kind  as  to  explain  what  you  mean  ?  "  he  cried  in- 
dignantly. 

"  Oh,  yes.  We  are  going  to  talk  far  into  the 
night,  and  it  is  only  fair  that  you  should  know  my 
intentions.  Otherwise,  the  valuable  counsel  you  will 
give  me  might  be  misdirected,  as  it  is,  for  instance, 
at  the  present  moment,  when  you  are  heatedly  ad- 
vising me  to  throw  in  my  lot  with  a  set  of  rascals 
who,  when  I  fail  to  satisfy  their  demands,  would  turn 

60 


In  the  Orient  Express 

and  rend  me  just  as  they  have  rended  Theodore.  Be 
sure  that  their  object  was  selfish,  Stampoff.  Not 
one  of  these  men  has  ever  seen  Prince  Michael  or 
myself.  Even  their  leaders  must  have  been  mere  boys 
when  Ferdinand  VII.  was  attacked — probably  by  their 
fathers.  Well,  I  shall  have  none  of  them.  They  and 
their  like  are  the  curse  of  Kosnovia.  Who  will  pay 
taxes  to  keep  me  in  the  state  that  becomes  a  King? 
Not  they.  Who  will  benefit  by  good  government  and 
honest  administration  of  the  laws?  Assuredly  not 
they,  for  they  batten  on  corruption;  they  are  the 
maggots  not  the  bees  of  industry.  Over  whom,  then, 
shall  I  reign? 

"  I  am  young,  Paul ;  but  I  have  read  and  thought, 
— not  very  deeply,  perhaps,  but  I  have  looked  at 
things  in  that  strong,  clear  light  of  Paris,  which  is 
heady  at  times,  like  its  good  wine,  but  which  enables 
men  to  view  art  and  politics  and  social  needs  in  their 
nakedness.  And  I  am  half  an  American,  too,  which 
accounts  for  certain  elements  in  my  composition  that 
detract  from  French  ideals.  A  Frenchman  cannot 
understand,  Paul,  why  some  of  my  excellent  kith  and 
kin  across  the  Atlantic  should  condemn  studies  of 
the  nude.  But  somehow  I  have  a  glimmering  sense 
of  the  moral  purpose  that  teaches  us  to  avoid  that 
which  is  not  wholly  decent.  So  I  am  a  blend  of 
French  realism  and  American  level  headedness,  and 
both  sides  of  my  nature  warn  me  that  a  King  should 
trust  his  people.  Sometimes  the  people  are  slow  to 
learn  that  vital  fact.  Well,  they  must  be  taught, 

61 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

and  the  first  lesson  in  a  State  like  Kosnovia  might 
well  be  given  by  trying  those  felons  of  the 
Schwarzburg  before  a  duly  constituted  court  of 
law." 

"  Fine  talk,  Alec.  Fine  talk !  You  do  not  know 
our  Serbs,"  yet  Stampoff  was  moved,  and  his  Slavonic 
sympathies  were  touched. 

"  Well,  '  A  King  should  die  standing,'  said  one 
poor  monarch,  who  thought  he  did  know  Frenchmen. 
I  ask  only  for  a  few  hours  in  my  boots  once  I  reach 
Delgratz.  I  shall  say  things  that  will  not  be  for- 
gotten for  a  day  or  two.  Come,  now,  my  old  war- 
horse,  join  me  in  this  new  campaign!  It  may  well 
prove  your  last  as  it  is  my  first ;  but  we  shall  fall 
honorably,  you  and  I." 

There  were  tears  in  Stampoff 's  eyes  when  Alec  made 
an  end.  "  Perhaps  you  are  right,"  he  said.  "  I 
have  always  given  my  mind  to  the  military  element. 
It  seemed  to  me  that  the  common  folk  require  to  be 
driven,  not  led,  into  the  path  they  should  tread.  I 
am  growing  old,  Alec ;  yours  is  a  new  creed  to  me. 
I  never  thought  to  hear  it  from  a  Delgrado,  and  it 
will  make  a  rare  stir  in  more  places  than  Kosnovia ; 
but  by  Heaven  it  is  worth  a  trial !  " 

So  Alec  had  won  a  convert,  and  that  is  the  first 
essential  of  a  reformer.  Long  and  earnestly  did 
they  discuss  the  men  and  manners  of  Kosnovia  and  its 
chief  city,  and  ever  the  Danube  drew  nearer ;  but  not 
a  word  did  Alec  say  of  his  telegram  to  Beaumanoir 
until  a  man  met  him  in  the  Western  Station  at  Vienna, 

62 


In  the  Orient  Express 

wrung  his  hand,  and  rushed  away  again  with  the 
words : 

"  Beaumanoir  leaves  Paris  to-night.  He  under- 
stands. So  do  I.  Good  luck,  old  chap!  If  you 
have  to  hit,  hit  hard  and  quickly." 

Stampoff  did  not  speak  English.  He  was  greatly 
distressed  .that  Alec  should  have  been  recognized  the 
instant  he  alighted  from  the  train,  though  Paris  was 
then  twenty-two  hours  distant.  "  Who  is  that  ?  "  he 
asked  anxiously. 

"  A  friend  from  the  British  Embassy." 

"  From  an  Embassy !     Then  we  are  lost." 

"  It  seemed  to  me  that  I  was  found,  rather." 

"  But  if  the  Embassies  know " 

"  They  are  invariably  the  worst  informed  centers 
in  any  country.  The  facts  of  which  they  profess 
total  ignorance  would  fill  many  interesting  volumes. 
Have  no  fear,  General.  I  said  *  a  friend.5  He  gave 
me  a  pleasant  message." 

"  Ah,  from  a  woman,  of  course?  " 

"No.     But " 

Delgrado  wheeled  round  to  face  a  tall  burly  man 
standing  stiffly  at  his  side  as  though  awaiting  orders. 
Stampoff,  who  had  been  following  the  vanishing  figure 
of  Beaumanoir's  emissary  with  suspicious  eyes,  turned 
and  looked  at  the  newcomer. 

"  Oh,  that  is  Bosko,"  he  said,  "  my  servant — yours, 
too,  for  that  matter.  You  can  trust  Bosko  with 
your  life.  Can't  he,  you  dog?  " 

"  Oui,  m'sieur!  "  said  Bosko. 
63 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE    WHITE    CITY 

ALEC  was  sound  asleep  when  the  Orient  Express 
rumbled  over  the  Danube  for  the  last  time  during  its 
slow  run  to  the  Near  East.  He  was  aroused  by  an 
official  examining  passports,  which  he  was  informed 
would  be  restored  in  the  railway  station  at  Delgratz. 
He  disliked  the  implied  subterfuge;  but  it  could  not 
be  helped.  Austria,  gracious  to  travelers  within  her 
bounds,  excepts  those  who  mean  to  cross  her  south- 
eastern frontier.  There  she  frowns  and  inquires. 
If  it  was  known  that  a  Delgrado  was  in  the  train, 
he  would  have  been  stopped  for  days,  pestered  by 
officialdom ;  and  possibly  deported. 

A  curious  element  of  safety  was,  however,  revealed 
by  newspapers  purchased  at  Budapest.  The  various 
factions  in  Delgratz  had  declared  a  truce.  The 
Delgrado  partizans  had  telegraphed  an  invitation  to 
Prince  Michael  to  come  and  occupy  the  throne,  and 
the  Prince,  or  some  wiser  person,  had  sent  a  gracious 
reply  stating  that  his  matured  decision  would  reach 
Kosnovia  in  due  course.  The  National  Assembly  was 
still  coquetting  with  the  republican  idea;  but,  in 
the  same  breath,  avowed  its  patriotic  impartiality. 

64 


The  White  City 

In  a  word,  Delgratz  wanted  peace.  Toward  that 
end,  the  Seventh  Regiment  continued  to  occupy 
the  Black  Castle,  the  remainder  of  the  troops 
stood  fast,  and  the  citizens  pulled  down  their  bar- 
ricades. 

Oddly  enough,  the  Paris  correspondent  of  "  The 
Budapest  Gazette  "  pointed  out  that  Prince  Michael's 
son  was  playing  polo  in  the  Bois  during  the  afternoon 
of  Tuesday.  The  journalist  little  dreamed  that  Alec 
was  reading  his  sarcastic  comments  on  the  Delgrado 
lack  of  initiative  at  Budapest  at  midnight  on  Wednes- 
day. 

The  train  was  abont  to  cross  the  River  Tave 
(Delgratz  stands  on  the  junction  of  that  stream  and 
the  Danube)  when  Stampoff  appeared.  The  Al- 
banian servant  accompanied  him. 

"  Leave  everything  to  Bosko,"  said  the  General. 
"  We  must  display  no  haste,  and  he  will  smooth  the 
way  through  the  customs." 

"  I  suppose  you  don't  want  me  to  ask  any  ques- 
tions ?  "  laughed  Alec. 

"  Better  not.  Do  you  still  adhere  to  your  pro- 
gram of  last  night  ?  " 

"  Absolutely." 

Stampoff  took  off  his  hat,  pointed  through  the 
window,  and  said  quietly,  "  There,  then,  God  willing, 
is  your  Majesty's  future  capital.  I  wish  to  con- 
gratulate your  Majesty  on  your  first  sight  of 
it." 

Beyond  a  level  stretch  of  meadowland  rose  the 
65 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

spires  and  domes  and  minarets  of  a  white  city.  The 
sun,  not  long  risen,  gilded  its  graceful  contours 
and  threw  the  rest  of  a  wondrous  picture  into  shadow 
so  sharp  that  the  whole  exquisite  vista  might  have 
been  an  intaglio  cut  in  the  sapphire  of  the  sky.  The 
Danube,  a  broad  streak  of  silver,  blended  with  the 
blue  Tave  to  frame  a  glimpse  of  fairyland.  For 
one  thrilling  moment  Alec  forgot  its  bloodstained 
history  and  looked  only  on  the  fair  domain  spread 
before  his  eyes.  Then  the  black  girders  and  crude 
latticework  of  a  bridge  shut  out  the  entrancing  spec- 
tacle, and  he  was  conscious  that  Stampoff  had  caught 
his  hand  and  was  pressing  it  to  his  lips. 

The  gallant  old  Serb  meant  well,  for  he  was  a 
patriot  to  the  core;  but  his  impulsive  action  grated. 
Perhaps  it  was  better  so.  Alec,  bred  in  a  society 
that  treated  such  demonstrations  with  scant  respect, 
was  suddenly  recalled  to  earth,  and  the  business  that 
lay  before  him  seemed  to  be  more  in  keeping  with 
the  modern  directness  of  the  railway  bridge  than 
with  daydreams  founded  on  a  picturesque  vision  of 
Delgratz. 

The  city,  too,  lost  its  glamour  when  seen  from  those 
backdoor  suburbs  that  every  railway  in  every  land 
appears  to  regard  as  the  only  natural  avenue  of 
approach  to  busy  communities.  The  line  turned 
sharply  along  the  right  bank  of  the  Tave  and  ran 
past  tobacco  factories,  breweries,  powder  mills,  scat- 
tered hovels,  and  unkempt  streets.  Here  was  no 
sun,  but  plenty  of  bare  whitewash.  Even  Alec,  accus- 

66 


The  White  City 

tomed  to  the  singularly  ugly  etchings  of  Paris  viewed 
from  its  chief  railways,  was  completely  disillusioned 
by  these  drab  adumbrations  of  commerce  and  squalor. 
The  Tave  was  no  longer  blue,  but  dull  brown  with 
the  mud  of  recent  rain.  Not  even  the  inhabitants 
were  attractive.  They  were  not  garbed  as  Serbs, 
but  wore  ungainly  costumes  that  might  have  passed 
unnoticed  in  the  Bowery.  He  was  irresistibly  re- 
minded of  the  stage,  with  its  sharp  contrasts  between 
the  two  sides  of  the  footlights,  and  in  the  luggage 
net  near  his  head  reposed  that  melodramatic  sword, 
still  wrapped  in  brown  paper. 

The  train  slowed,  and  Stampoff  went  into  the 
corridor.  He  came  back  instantly.  "  The  station 
is  guarded  by  troops,"  he  muttered.  "  Some  of  the 
officers  may  recognize  me.  Perhaps  we  ought  to 
separate." 

"  No,  no,"  said  Alec.  "  Let  us  stick  to  the  other 
passengers.  I  am  the  real  stranger  here,  and  they 
can  look  at  me  as  much  as  they  like." 

It  was,  indeed,  easy  to  concede  that  Alexis  III. 
was  a  man  apart  from  his  people.  Swarthy  old 
Stampoff,  Prince  Michael  Delgrado,  the  pink  and 
white  Julius  Marulitch,  even  the  olive  skinned,  oval 
faced  Beliani,  might  have  mingled  with  the  throng 
on  the  platform  and  found  each  his  racial  kith  and 
kin ;  not  so  Alec.  His  stature,  his  carriage,  his  fair 
complexion  tanned  brown  with  an  open  air  life,  picked 
him  out  among  these  Balkan  folk  almost  as  distinctly 
as  a  Polar  bear  would  show  among  the  denizens  of 

67 


an  Indian  jungle.  Moreover,  every  man  of  import- 
ance wore  some  sort  of  uniform,  whereas  Alec  was 
quietly  dressed  in  tweeds. 

Thus,  he  drew  many  eyes,  and  evoked  many  a 
whispered  comment ;  but  never  a  man  or  woman  in 
that  crowded  terminus  harbored  the  remotest  notion 
that  he  was  a  Delgrado.  There  were  guesses  in 
plenty,  wherein  he  ranged  from  an  English  news- 
paper correspondent  to  a  Greek  Prince,  the  latter 
wild  theory  originating  in  the  discovery  of  his  name 
on  the  passport.  Stampoff  was  ignored,  and  all 
went  well  till  Bosko,  laden  with  portmanteaus,  led 
the  way  to  the  exit. 

Alec,  swayed  by  a  desire  to  please  his  father, 
carried  under  his  arm  the  sword  of  Ferdinand  VII. 
The  customs  officials  at  the  barrier  allowed  the  party 
to  pass;  but  a  shrewd  visaged  officer  standing  just 
outside  eyed  Alec's  package. 

"  What  have  you  there?  "  he  asked,  probably  more 
anxious  to  exchange  a  word  with  this  distinguished 
looking  stranger  than  really  inquisitive. 

"  A  sword,"  said  Alec. 

"And  why  are  you  carrying  a  sword?"  said  the 
other,  who  seemed  hardly  to  expect  this  prompt 
reply  in  the  vernacular. 

"  It  is  a  curiosity,  a  veritable  antique." 

"  Ha !  I  must  see  it." 

"  Come  with  me  to  Monsieur  Nesimir's  house  and 
I  will  show  it  to  you." 

The  suspicious  one  became  apologetic,  since  Mon- 
68 


The  White  City 

sieur  Nesimir  was  President  of  the  National  Assem- 
bly. 

"  I  pray  your  pardon,"  he  said.  "  Any  friend 
of  the  President  passes  unchallenged.  But  these  are 
troublous  times  in  Kosnovia,  so  you  understand " 

"  Exactly.  Brains  are  far  more  useful  than  swords 
in  Delgratz  to-day,  and  this,  at  the  best,  is  but  a 
gilded  toy." 

Stampoff  was  already  inside  a  closed  carriage, 
and  Bosko  was  holding  the  door  open  for  Alec,  who 
gave  the  driver  clear  instructions  before  he  entered. 
The  vehicle  rattled  off,  and  Stampoff  swore  bluntly. 

"  Gods !  I  thought  there  would  be  a  row,"  he 
growled.  "  That  fellow  is  Captain  Drakovitch,  I 
remember  him  well ;  he  is  all  nose." 

"  I  shall  appoint  him  sanitary  inspector,"  said 
Alec,  sniffing. 

Stampoff  laughed.  Now  that  they  were  fairly 
committed  to  Alec's  scheme,  he  was  in  excellent 
spirits.  "  By  the  patriarch !  you  certainly  believe 
in  yourself,  and  I  am  beginning  to  believe  in  you ! " 
he  vowed. 

But  his  faith  was  rudely  shaken  when  Alec  insisted 
on  sending  his  own  card  to  Nesimir.  "  That  is  a 
mad  thing,"  he  protested.  "  He  will  refuse  to  re- 
ceive you  and  hand  you  over  to  the  guard." 

"  On  the  contrary,  he  will  hasten  to  meet  us.  Curi- 
osity is  the  most  potent  of  human  attributes.  Even 
Presidents  yield  to  it.  At  this  moment,  in  all  like- 
lihood, he  is  struggling  into  a  frock  coat." 

69 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

Alec  was  right.  A  portly  person,  wearing,  indeed, 
a  frock  coat,  a  sash,  and  peg  top  trousers,  appeared 
in  the  doorway  of  the  presidential  mansion.  He  also 
wore  an  expression  of  deep  amazement.  He  glanced 
from  the  tall  smiling  youth  to  the  diminutive  General, 
on  whom  his  eyes  dwelt  searchingly. 

"  Yes,"  said  Stampoff  abruptly,  speaking  in 
French,  "  I  am  Paul  Stampoff,  shorn  of  his  fleece. 
This  is  the  King,"  and  he  nodded  to  Alec. 

"The  King!" 

"  Alexis  III.,  grandson  of  Ferdinand  VII.,  and 
son  of  Michael  V." 

Nesimir  hastily  ordered  a  servant  to  close  the  outer 
door.  As  it  happened,  the  President's  military 
guard  was  stationed  at  a  gate  on  the  other  side  of 
the  main  courtyard,  and  no  one  could  be  aware  of 
the  visitor's  identity,  except  the  man  who  had  taken 
Alec's  card,  while  he,  probably,  was  unable  to  read 
Roman  script. 

"  Your  Excellency  will  doubtless  permit  our  bag- 
gage to  be  placed  in  the  hall  ?  "  said  Alec,  using  the 
most  musical  of  all  the  Slavonic  tongues  with  fluency. 

The  President,  in  that  state  of  trepidation  best 
described  by  the  homely  phrase,  "  You  could  have 
knocked  him  down  with  a  feather,"  seemed  to  collapse 
utterly  when  he  heard  the  stranger  talking  like  a 
native. 

"  Certainly,  your — certainly.  I  don't  understand, 
of  course;  but  I  shall  give  directions  .  .  ."  he 
stuttered.  "  You  have  come  by  train,  from — er — 

70 


The  White  City 

from  the  west?  You  have  not  breakfasted?  A  cup 
of  chocolate?  Ah,  yes,  a  cup  of  chocolate.  Then 
we  can  discuss  matters.  The  Assembly  meets  at 
ten,  and  I  am  very  busy ;  but  I  can  give  you  half  an 

hour,  Monsieur "  he  looked  at  the  card  in  his 

hand, — "  Monsieur " 

Then  he  gave  it  up.  He  simply  dared  not  pro- 
nounce the  name;  so,  with  hospitable  flourish,  he 
ushered  the  two  up  a  broad  staircase  and  into  a  room. 

While  climbing  the  stairs  he  recovered  sufficiently 
to  tell  the  doorkeeper  that  the  gentlemen's  port- 
manteaus were  to  be  brought  within  and  no  one  ad- 
mitted without  specific  permission.  Once  in  the 
room  he  closed  the  door,  stood  with  his  back  to  it, 
and  gasped  at  Stampoff  with  one  word: 

"  Now ! " 

"  As  soon  as  you  like.  I  am  famished.  I  ate  but 
little  en  route,  because  I  detest  German  cooking," 
said  Stampoff,  on  whom  Alec's  methods  were  taking 
effect. 

«  But " 

"Ah,  you  wonder  why  his  Majesty  should  appear 
without  ceremony?  Well,  he  quitted  Paris  on  Tues- 
day night,  an  hour  after  Prince  Michael  had  abdi- 
cated in  his  favor." 

"  Abdicated !  "   wheezed   the   President. 

"  Our  friend  takes  too  much  for  granted,"  broke 
in  Alec,  smiling  and  unembarrassed.  "  My  father 
could  not  vacate  a  throne  he  did  not  occupy.  He 
merely  resigned  his  claims  in  my  favor.  Kosnovia 

,71 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

should  be  governed  by  a  constitutional  King,  and  the 
power  to  choose  him  now  rests  solely  with  the  hon- 
orable house  of  which  you  are  chief.  If  that  is  your 
view,  I  share  it  to  the  uttermost.  It  is  reported  in 
the  press  that  the  men  who  murdered  King  Theodore 
and  Queen  Helena  have  declared  their  allegiance  to 
the  Delgrado  line.  My  reply  is  that  I  refuse  their 
nomination.  If  I  am  elected  King  by  the  representa- 
tives of  the  people,  I  shall  have  much  pleasure  in 
hanging  every  officer  who  took  part  in  the  infamy  of 
the  Black  Castle.  But — it  is  an  early  hour  for 
politics.  You  mentioned  breakfast,  Monsieur  le 
President?" 

Fat  and  asthmatic  Sergius  Nesimir  was  not  the 
man  to  deal  with  a  candid  adventurer  of  this  type. 
It  occurred  to  him  that  he  ought  to  summon  help 
and  clap  the  soi-disant  King  and  his  henchman  into 
prison.  But  on  what  charge?  Could  any  royal 
pretender  put  forth  more  reasonable  plea?  And 
Kosnovia  is  near  enough  to  the  East  to  render  sacred 
the  claims  of  hospitality. 

"  One  moment,  I  beg,"  he  stammered.  "  Why  has 
your — why  have  you  come  to  me?  What  am  I  to 
do?  The  Assembly " 

"  The  Assembly  seems  to  favor  a  Republic,"  said 
Alec.  "  Be  it  so.  There  are  certain  arguments 
against  such  a  course  which  I  would  be  glad  of  an 
opportunity  to  place  before  members.  If  you  in- 
troduce me,  they  will  give  me  a  fair  hearing.  Let 
a  vote  be  taken  at  once.  If  it  is  opposed  to  a. 

72 


The  White  City 

monarchy,  I  am  ready  to  be  conducted  to  either  the 
railway  station  or  the  scaffold,  whichever  the  Assem- 
bly in  its  wisdom  may  deem  best  fitted  to  national 
needs.  If  it  is  in  my  favor,  I  am  King.  What  more 
is  there  to  be  said?  " 

"What,  indeed?"  growled  Stampoff.  "Why  so 
much  talk?  Let  us  eat !  " 

Poor  Nesimir !  He  had  the  unhappy  history  of 
his  country  at  his  fingers'  ends,  and  never  before  had 
Delgrado  or  Obrenovitch  striven  for  kingship  in  this 
kid-glove  fashion. 

"  Breakfast  shall  be  served  instantly,"  he  said, 
trying  vainly  to  imitate  the  cool  demeanor  of  his 
guests.  "  But — you  will  appreciate  the  difficulties 
of  my  position.  I  must  consult  with  the  ministers." 

"  I  hope  I  may  call  your  Excellency  a  friend,"  said 
Alec,  "  and  I  shall  be  ever  ready  to  accept  your  Ex- 
cellency's counsel;  but  on  this  exceptional  occasion 
I  venture  to  advise  you.  Let  none  know  I  am  here. 
In  the  present  disturbed  condition  of  affairs  there 
must  be  almost  as  many  hidden  forces  existing  in 
Delgratz  as  there  are  men  in  the  Cabinet.  Why  per- 
mit them  to  fret  and  fume  when  you  alone  have  power 
to  control  them?  I  promise  faithfully  to  abide  by 
the  decision  of  the  Assembly.  Should  it  favor  me, 
your  position  is  consolidated ;  should  it  prove  adverse 
to  my  cause,  you  still  remain  the  chief  man  in  the 
State,  since  the  world  will  realize  that  it  was  to  you, 
and  you  only,  I  submitted  in  the  first  instance." 

"  By  all  the  saints,  that  is  well  put ! "  cried 
73 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

Stampoff.  "  Now,  Sergius,  my  lamb,  a  really  good 
omelet,  something  grilled,  and  a  bottle  of  sound 
Karlowitz — none  of  your  Danube  water  for  me ! " 

The  President  surrendered  at  discretion.  Alec's 
appeal  to  his  self  importance  was  irresistible.  He 
was  excited,  elated,  frightened;  but  happily  he  was 
strong  enough  to  perceive  that  a  chance  of  obtaining 
distinction  was  within  his  grasp,  and  he  clutched  at 
it,  though  with  palsied  hands. 

So  it  came  to  pass  that  when  the  hundred  and  fifty 
members  of  the  National  Assembly  gathered  in  the 
great  hall  of  the  convention,  none  there  knew  why  a 
tall,  pleasant  faced  young  man  should  be  sitting  in 
the  President's  private  room,  and  apparently  not 
caring  a  jot  who  came  or  went  during  the  half -hour's 
lobbying  and  retailing  of  political  gossip  that  pre- 
ceded the  formal  opening  of  the  sitting. 

But  there  was  an  awkward  moment  when  Nesi- 
mir,  pale  and  shaken,  entered  the  chamber  through 
the  folding  doors  at  the  back  of  the  presidential 
dais. 

"  Silence  for  his  Excellency  the  President ! " 
shouted  a  loud  voiced  usher,  and  all  men  looked  up 
in  wonder  when  they  discovered  that  the  youthful 
stranger  was  standing  by  the  President's  side.  The 
session  was  to  be  a  secret  one.  Press  and  public  were 
excluded.  Who,  then — 

"  Gentleman,"  said  Sergius  Nesimir,  and  he  spoke 
with  the  slowness  of  ill  repressed  agitation,  "  I  have 
a  momentous  announcement  to  make.  This  honorable 

74 


Gentlemen,  here  stands  Alexis  Belgrade 


Page  75 


The  White  City 

house  has  almost  committed  itself  to  the  republican 
form  of  Government " 

"  Definitely !  "  cried  a  voice. 

"  No,  no ! "  this  from  a  Senator. 

The  President  lifted  a  hand.  In  other  circum- 
stances, the  interruptions  would  have  provoked  rival 
storms  of  agreement  and  dissent  from  the  many 
groups  intp  which  the  Assembly  was  split  up;  but 
now  there  was  an  electric  feeling  in  the  air  that  their 
trusted  chief  would  not  broach  this  grave  question 
so  suddenly  without  good  cause.  And — who  was  his 
companion?  Why  did  he  occupy  the  dais? 

"  I  ask  for  silence,"  said  Nesimir.  "  The  fortunes 
of  Kosnovia  tremble  in  the  balance.  You  will  be 
given  ample  time  for  discussion;  but  hear  me  first. 
I  have  said  that  the  republican  idea  has  been  mooted 
in  all  seriousness.  We,  in  common  with  the  rest  of 
humanity,  have  been  horrorstricken  by  recent  events 
in  our  beloved  land.  Our  reigning  dynasty  has  been 
blotted  out  of  existence.  There  is  no  heir  of  the 
Obrenovitch  line.  Were  we,  the  representatives  of 
the  people,  to  declare  in  favor  of  a  King,  we  should 
naturally  turn  to  the  other  royal  house  of  our  own 
blood.  We  should  send  for  a  Delgrado.  Gentle- 
men, here  stands  Alexis  Delgrado " 

He  could  go  no  further.  A  yell  of  sheer  amaze- 
ment came  from  all  parts  of  the  crowded  chamber. 
Ministers,  Senators,  Representatives,  joined  in  that 
bewildered  roar.  Those  who  were  sitting  rose ;  those 
in  the  back  benches  stood  on  the  seats  in  order  to 

75 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

gaze  over  the  heads  in  front.  Men  shouted  and 
glared  and  turned  to  shout  again  at  one  another; 
but  through  all  the  turmoil  Alec  faced  them,  smiling 
and  imperturbable,  and,  at  what  he  judged  to  be 
the  right  moment — for  that  volcanic  outburst  must 
be  given  time  to  exhaust  itself — he  placed  his  one 
hand  on  the  President's  shoulder  and  with  the  other 
signaled  his  desire  to  be  heard. 

Again  he  placed  implicit  confidence  in  the  all 
powerful  element  of  curiosity.  He  knew  full  well 
that  these  emotional  Serbs  could  not  hear  his  name 
unmoved,  while  the  extraordinary  racial  difference 
between  himself  and  every  other  man  in  the  Assembly 
must  have  made  a  strong  appeal  to  their  dramatic 
instincts.  And  again  was  he  justified;  for  the  mere 
expression  of  his  wish  to  address  them  was  obeyed 
by  an  instant  hushing  of  the  storm. 

"  My  fellow  countrymen,"  he  began,  "  you  whom 
I  expect  to  count  among  my  friends  ere  this  day  is 
out " 

Another  wave  of  sound  ran  through  the  hall.  Men 
still  wondered;  but  their  hearts  were  beating  high, 
and  a  new  note  had  come  into  their  voices.  He  was 
speaking  their  own  language,  speaking  it  as  one 
to  the  manner  born,  speaking  it  as  no  Austrian  could 
ever  speak  it,  since  harsh,  dominant  German  can 
never  reproduce  the  full  Slavonic  resonance.  Alec, 
but  yesterday  Joan's  typical  idler,  had  fathomed 
some  uncharted  deep  in  the  mysterious  art  of  sway- 
ing his  fellow  men.  He  realized  at  once  that  this 

76 


The  White  City 

rumble  of  astonishment  was  the  very  best  thing  that 
could  have  happened.  He  waited  just  long  enough 
for  the  sympathetic  murmur  to  merge  into  nods  and 
whisperings,  then  he  continued: 

"  It  is  true  that  I  am  here  as  a  Delgrado.  I  come 
as  a  candidate,  not  a  claimant.  It  rests  with  you 
whether  I  shall  remain  among  you  as  Alexis  III., 
King  of  Kosnovia,  or  go  back  to  my  father  and  tell 
him  that  our  people  are  anxious  to  try  a  new  form 
of  Government.  Of  course,"  and  here  Alec  beamed 
on  them  most  affably,  "  there  are  other  alternatives. 
You  may  elect  to  put  me  in  jail,  or  throw  me  into 
the  Danube,  or  swing  me  from  a  gibbet  as  a  warning 
to  all  would-be  monarchs  and  other  malefactors.  But 
there  is  one  thing  you  cannot  do.  You  can  never 
persuade  me  to  wade  to  a  throne  through  the  blood 
of  innocent  people !  And  that  is  why  I  am  here,  and 
not  in  the  company  of  the  wretched  conspirators  now 
skulking  behind  the  walls  of  the  Schwarzburg." 

Then  a  hurricane  of  cheers  made  the  windows 
rattle,  and  a  deputy  from  the  Shumadia,  "  the  heart 
of  Kosnovia,"  a  bigchested,  deep  voiced  forester, 
sent  forth  a  trumpet  shout  that  reached  every 


"Hola!  That's  a  King!  Look  at  him!" 
From  that  instant  Alec  was  as  surely  King  of 
Kosnovia  as  the  German  Emperor  is  King  of  Prus- 
sia. Of  course,  he  had  to  talk  till  he  was  hoarse, 
and  wring  strong  hands  till  he  was  weary,  and 
Stampoff  had  to  make  more  than  one  gruff  speech, 

77 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

and  eloquent  Senators  and  Deputies  had  to  proclaim 
the  inviolate  nature  of  the  new  constitution,  and 
Alec  had  to  sign  it  amid  a  scene  of  riotous  en- 
thusiasm. But  these  things  were  the  aftermath  of 
a  harvest  reaped  by  half  a  dozen  sentences.  The 
Shumadia  man's  simple  phrases  became  a  formula. 
Men  laughed  and  said: 

"  Hola !     That's  a  King !     Look  at  him !  " 

In  time  it  reached  the  streets.  The  people  took 
it  up  as  a  popular  catchword.  It  whirled  through 
all  Kosnovia.  Those  who  had  never  seen  Alec,  nor 
heard  of  him  before  they  were  told  he  was  King, 
adopted  it  as  a  token  of  their  belief  that  the  nation 
had  at  last  obtained  a  ruler  who  surpassed  all  other 
Kings. 

But  that  was  to  come  later.  While  Alec  was 
listening  to  the  plaudits  that  proclaimed  his  triumph, 
Stampoff  growled  at  him  from  behind  the  half-closed 
door: 

"  Gods !  You've  done  it !  And  without  a  blow ! 
Never  was  Kingdom  won  so  easily.  God  bless  your 
Majesty!  May  you  live  long  and  reign  worthily!" 

Good  wishes  these;  but  in  them  was  the  germ  of 
an  abiding  canker.  What  would  Joan  say?  He  had 
taken  a  sleeping  car  ticket  from  Paris  and  had 
stepped  into  his  patrimony  with  as  little  anxiety  or 
delay  as  would  herald  a  royal  succession  in  the  oldest 
and  most  firmly  established  monarchy  in  Europe. 
What  of  the  goddess  with  the  great  gray  eyes, 
clear  and  piercing,  who  knew  all  the  thoughts  of 

78 


The  White  City 

men's  hearts  and  the  secrets  of  their  souls?  What 
of  her  warning  that  she  would  drive  her  chosen  ones 
by  strange  paths  through  doubt  and  need  and  danger 
and  battle?  Which  of  these  had  he  encountered, 
beyond  the  vanished  phantoms  of  idle  hours  passed 
in  the  cozy  comfort  of  the  Orient  Express  ?  "  Never 
was  kingdom  won  so  easily !  " 

Well  meant ;  but  it  rankled.  That  ominous  line 
of  Vergil's  came  to  his  mind.  Timeo  Danaos  et  dona 
ferentes  (I  fear  the  Greeks  even  bringing  gifts). 
Truly  the  Greeks  were  come  speedily,  carrying  in 
full  measure  the  gifts  of  loyalty  and  dominion.  Yet 
he  feared  them.  A  whiff  of  peril,  pitfalls  to  be 
leaped,  some  days  or  weeks  of  dire  uncertainty,  men 
to  be  won,  and  factions  placated,  any  or  all  of  these 
might  have  appeased  the  jealous  gods.  But  this 
instant  success  would  shock  Olympus.  It  cried  for 
contrast  by  its  very  flight  to  the  pinnacle. 

None  suspected  this  mood  in  the  chosen  King.  He 
charmed  these  volatile  and  romantic  Serbs  by  his 
naturalness.  He  seemed  to  take  it  so  thoroughly 
for  granted  that  he  was  the  one  man  living  who 
could  rule  them  according  to  their  aspirations,  that 
they  adopted  the  notion  without  reserve.  The  morn- 
ing passed  in  a  blaze  of  enthusiasm.  Alec,  out- 
wardly calm  and  hail  fellow  with  all  who  came  in 
contact  with  him,  was  really  in  a  state  of  waking 
trance.  His  brain  throbbed  with  ideas,  words  that 
he  had  never  conned  flowed  from  his  lips.  Thus, 
when  asked  to  sign  the  constitution,  he  wrote  "  Alexis, 

79 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

Rex,"  with  a  firm  hand,  and  then  looked  round  on 
the  circle  of  intent  faces. 

"  Gentlemen,"  he  said,  "  I  hereby  pledge  myself 
to  our  land.  When  I  am  dead,  if  my  successor  shows 
signs  of  faltering,  make  my  skin  into  a  drumhead 
for  the  cause  of  Kosnovia ! " 

At  the  moment  he  really  did  not  know  that  this 
was  borrowed  thunder,  and  assuredly  the  Kosnovians 
did  not  care.  Already  his  utterances  were  being  re- 
tailed with  gusto.  Before  night,  every  adult  in- 
habitant of  Delgratz  was  likening  their  marvelous 
King,  fallen  from  the  skies,  to  a  drum  that  should 
summon  the  Serbs  to  found  the  Empire  of  their 
dreams. 

He  was  asked  if  he  would  not  order  the  Seventh 
Regiment  to  evacuate  the  Black  Castle  so  that  he 
might  take  up  his  quarters  there. 

"  There  is  no  hurry,"  he  said.  "  The  place  needs 
cleaning." 

A  review  of  the  troops  stationed  in  other  parts  of 
the  capital  was  arranged  for  the  afternoon  in  the 
beautiful  park  that  crowns  the  promontory  formed 
by  the  two  rivers,  and  it  was  suggested  that  he 
should  drive  thither  in  the  President's  carriage. 

"  I  would  prefer  to  ride,"  said  he.  "  Then  the 
people  and  I  can  see  one  another." 

A  number  of  horses  were  brought  from  the  late 
King's  stables  and  Alec  selected  a  white  Arab  stallion 
that  seemed  to  have  mettle  and  be  up  to  weight. 
Soldiers  and  civilians  exchanged  underlooks  at  the 

80 


The  White  City 

choice.  Selim  was  the  last  horse  ridden  by  the  ill 
fated  Theodore,  and,  after  the  manner  of  Arabs, 
he  had  stumbled  on  the  level  roadway  and  the  royal 
equestrian  was  thrown. 

During  the  procession,  while  passing  through  the 
densely  packed  Wassina-st.,  Selim  stumbled  again 
and  was  promptly  pulled  back  almost  on  his  haunches. 
At  that  very  instant  a  revolver  was  fired  from  the 
crowd  and  a  bullet  flattened  itself  on  the  opposite 
wall.  The  would-be  assassin  was  seized  instantly, 
a  hundred  hands  were  ready  to  tear  him  to  shreds, 
when  the  King's  white  horse  suddenly  pranced  into 
the  midst  of  the  press.  Grasping  the  man  by  the 
neck,  Alec  drew  him  free  by  main  force. 

"  Kill  him !  "  yelled  the  mob. 

"  No,"  cried  Alec,  "  we  will  put  him  in  the  recruits' 
squad  and  teach  him  how  to  shoot ! " 

Throughout  a  long  day  he  displayed  a  whole 
hearted  abandonment  to  the  joy  of  finding  himself 
accepted  by  the  people  as  their  ruler  that  did  more 
than  a  year's  session  of  the  Assembly  to  endear  him 
to  them ;  but  the  seal  of  national  approval  was  con- 
ferred by  his  action  next  day,  when  news  came  that 
Lord  Adalbert  Beaumanoir  was  a  prisoner  at 
Semlin ! 

Naturally,  the  telegraph  wires  had  thrilled  Europe 
during  every  hour  after  ten  o'clock  on  Thursday 
morning,  but  the  thrills  felt  in  Germany,  Russia,  and 
Turkey  were  supplemented  by  agonized  squirming 
on  the  part  of  official  Austria.  That  an  upstart,  a 

81 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

masquerader,  a  mountebank  of  a  King,  should  actu- 
ally have  traversed  Austria  from  west  to  east,  with- 
out ever  a  soul  cased  in  uniform  knowing  anything 
about  him,  was  ill  to  endure,  and  the  minions  of 
Kosnovia's  truculent  neighbor  swore  mighty  oaths 
that  no  bottle  holder  from  Paris  or  elsewhere  should 
be  allowed  to  follow.  So  Lord  Adalbert  Beaumanoir 
was  watched  from  Passau  to  Maria  Theresiopel,  and 
telegrams  flew  over  the  face  of  the  land,  and  Alec's 
British  ally  was  hauled  from  the  train  at  Semlin 
soon  after  dawn  Friday. 

Captain  Drakovitch,  anxious  to  atone  for  his  pry- 
ing of  the  previous  day,  brought  circumstantial  de- 
tails to  his  Majesty  Alexis  III.,  who  was  breakfasting 
with  Nesimir,  Stampoff,  and  Ministers  of  State. 
There  could  be  no  doubting  Beaumanoir's  identity, 
since  his  baggage  was  on  the  train,  and  Drakovitch 
had  made  sure  of  his  facts  before  hurrying  to  the 
President's  house. 

"  Has  Austria  any  right  to  arrest  a  British  sub- 
ject merely  because  he  wishes  to  enter  Kosnovia?" 
asked  Alec,  looking  round  at  the  assembled  gray- 
heads. 

"  None  whatever,"  said  Nesimir. 

"  It  is  an  outrage,"  puffed  the  War  Minister. 

"  She  would  not  dare  act  in  that  way  on  any  other 
frontier ! "  cried  he  of  the  Interior. 

"  What,  then,  is  to  be  done?  "  demanded  the  King. 

"  Make  the  most  emphatic  protest  to  Vienna," 
came  the  chorus. 

82 


The  White  City 

"  Through  the  usual  diplomatic  channels  ?  " 

"  Yes — of  course." 

"  But  that  means  leaving  my  friend  in  prison  for 
an  indefinite  period." 

Eloquent  shrugs  expressed  complete  agreement. 

"  Has  it  been  the  habit  of  Kosnovia  to  accept 
tamely  such  treatment  at  the  hands  of  Austria?" 
inquired  Alec,  looking  at  the  President. 

"  I  fear  so,  your  Majesty.  We  are  small  and 
feeble;  she  is  mighty  in  size  and  armament." 

"  So  was  Goliath,  yet  David  slew  him  with  a 
pebble,"  said  Alec,  rising.  "  Come,  Captain  Drako- 
vitch,  you  and  I  will  call  on  the  Austrian  Ambassador. 
Stampoff,  will  you  kindly  arrange  that  a  regiment 
of  cavalry  and  six  guns  shall  parade  outside  the 
station  in  half  an  hour's  time?  You  might  also  ask 
the  railway  people  to  provide  the  necessary  transport, 
though  I  hardly  expect  it  will  be  needed.  Still,  we 
ought  to  make  a  show,  just  for  practice." 

Several  faces  at  the  table  blanched. 

"  What  does  your  Majesty  mean  by  these  prepa- 
rations ?  "  asked  Nesimir. 

"  Preparations — for  what  ?  Surely  we  can  inspect 
our  own  troops  and  test  our  own  railway  accommo- 
dation," laughed  Alec.  "  As  for  the  Austrian  Am- 
bassador, I  intend  to  make  an  emphatic  protest 
through  the  usual  diplomatic  channel.  Isn't  that 
what  you  all  agreed  to  ?  " 

He  went  out,  followed  by  Drakovitch.  In  five 
minutes  they  were  clattering  through  the  streets 

83 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

accompanied  by  a  small  escort,  which  Alec  would  have 
dispensed  with  if  it  was  not  absolutely  needed  to  clear 
a  passage  when  once  Delgratz  knew  that  the  King 
was  abroad. 

Neither  the  Austrian  nor  Russian  representative 
had  recognized  the  new  regime  as  yet.  Each  was 
waiting  to  see  how  the  other  would  act ;  so  Baron  von 
Rothstein  viewed  with  mixed  feelings  the  arrival  of 
his  royal  visitor.  But  he  met  him  with  all  ceremony, 
and  began  to  say  that  instructions  might  reach  him 
from  Vienna  at  any  moment  to  pay  an  official 
call. 

"  Quite  correct,  Herr  Baron,"  said  Alec  cheerfully. 
"  I  am  a  novice  at  this  game ;  but  I  fully  understand 
that  you  act  for  your  Government  and  not  for  your- 
self. That  fact  renders  easy  the  favor  I  have  to 
ask." 

"Anything  that  lies  in  my  power,  your  Maj- 
esty  " 

"  Oh,  this  is  a  simple  matter.  A  friend  of  mine, 
Lord  Adalbert  Beaumanoir,  who  was  coming  here 
from  Paris  to  visit  me,  was  arrested  at  Semlin  this 
morning.  There  is,  or  can  be,  no  charge  against 
him.  Some  of  your  zealous  agents  have  blundered, 
that  is  all.  Now,  I  want  you  to  go  to  Semlin  in 
a  special  train  I  will  provide  and  bring  his  Lordship 

here  before "     Alec  looked  at  his  watch — "  It  is 

now  nine — shall  we  say? — by  eleven  o'clock  sharp." 

Von  Rothstein  was  startled,  and  he  showed  it. 
"  But  this  is  the  first  I  have  heard  of  it,"  he  said. 

84 


The  White  City 

"  Exactly.  That  is  why  I  came  in  person  to  tell 
you." 

"  I  fear  I  cannot  interfere,  your  Majesty." 

"Is  that  so?  Why,  then,  Herr  Baron,  are  you 
Minister  for  Austria  at  Delgratz  ?  " 

"  I  mean  that  this  matter  is  not  within  my  prov- 
ince." 

"  Surely  it  must  be.  I  cannot  allow  my  friends 
to  be  collared  by  Austrian  police  for  no  reason  what- 
soever. This  passport  question  concerns  Kosnovia, 
not  Austria.  The  action  of  the  Semlin  authorities 
is  one  of  brigandage.  It  can  be  adjusted  amicably 
by  you,  Herr  von  Rothstein.  Do  you  refuse  ?  " 

"  I  fear  I  cannot  do  what  you  desire,  your  Maj- 
esty." 

"  Ah !  That  is  a  pity !  In  that  event,  I  must 
go  to  Semlin  myself  and  liberate  Lord  Adalbert." 

"  I  don't  quite  understand " 

"  Is  my  German  so  poor,  then?  "  laughed  Alec. 

"  I  mean,  of  course " 

"  You  think  I  am  bluffing.  Do  you  know  the  word  ? 
It  is  American  for  a  pretense  that  is  not  backed  by 
action.  I  intend  nothing  of  the  kind.  Either  you 
or  I  must  start  for  Semlin  forthwith.  If  I  go,  I 
take  with  me  a  bodyguard  sufficiently  strong  to  in- 
sure my  friend's  freedom.  I  am  not  declaring  war 
against  Austria.  If  any  jack  in  office  in  Kosnovia 
acts  like  these  Semlin  policemen,  and  a  Kosnovian 
official  refuses  to  put  matters  straight,  by  all  means 
let  Austria  teach  the  offenders  a  sharp  lesson.  She 

85 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

will  have  my  complete  approval,  as  I  hope  I  have 
yours  on  the  present  occasion." 

"  But,  your  Majesty,  such  action  on  your  part 
does  really  amount  to  a  declaration  of  war !  " 

"  Ridiculous !  Austria  seizes  an  inoffensive  British 
gentleman  merely  because  he  travels  from  Paris  to 
Delgratz,  I  appeal  to  you,  the  Austrian  minister, 
to  go  and  release  him,  and  you  refuse;  yet  you  tell 
me  I  am  making  war  on  your  country  if  I  rescue 
him.  The  notion  is  preposterous!  At  any  rate,  it 
can  be  argued  later.  I  have  sufficient  cavalry  and 
guns  assembled  near  the  station,  and  I  hope  to 
be  in  Semlin  in  twenty  minutes.  Good  morning, 
Baron." 

"  Your  Majesty,  I  implore  you  to  forego  this 
rash  enterprise." 

"  It  is  you  or  I  for  it ! " 

"  Let  me  telegraph." 

"  Useless.  That  spells  delay.  You  or  I  must  go 
to  Semlin — now !  Which  is  it  to  be  ?  " 

The  Austrian  diplomat,  pallid  and  bewildered, 
yet  had  the  wit  to  believe  that  this  quiet  voiced  young 
man  meant  every  word  he  said.  He  reasoned  quickly 
that  the  freeing  of  a  pestiferous  Englishman  at 
Semlin  could  have  no  possible  effect  on  Austria's 
subsequent  action.  She  might  please  herself  whether 
or  not  the  threatened  invasion  of  her  territory  should 
be  deemed  a  cause  of  war,  while  to  yield  for  the  hour 
robbed  this  extraordinary  adventurer  of  the  prestige 
that  would  accrue  from  his  bold  act. 

86 


The  White  City 

"  I  will  go,  your  Majesty,"  said  he,  after  a  fate- 
ful pause. 

"  Good !  Permit  me  to  congratulate  you  on  a 
wise  decision,"  said  Alec.  "  I  shall  wait  your  return 
in  patience  until  eleven." 

"And  then?" 

"  Oh,  then — I  follow  you,  of  course." 

Baron  von  Rothstein  thought  silence  was  best.  He 
drove  to  the  station,  and  did  not  fail  to  note  the 
military  preparations.  His  special  quitted  Delgratz 
at  nine-twenty  A.M.  At  ten-forty  A.M.  it  came  back 
and  Alec  met  him  and  Lord  Adalbert  Beaumanoir 
on  the  platform. 

"  Sorry  you  were  held  up,  old  chap,"  was  the  King's 
greeting.  "  Some  of  these  frontier  police  are  fearful 
asses ;  but  Herr  von  Rothstein  rushed  off  the  instant 
he  heard  of  your  predicament,  and  here  you  are,  only 
five  hours  late  after  all." 

"  Wouldn't  have  missed  it  for  a  pony,  dear  boy," 
grinned  Beaumanoir.  "  There  was  a  deuce  of  a 
shindy  when  three  fat  johnnies  tried  to  pull  me  out 
of  my  compartment.  I  told  'em  I  didn't  give  a 
tinker's  continental  for  their  bally  frontier,  and  then 
the  band  played.  I  slung  one  joker  through  the 
window.  Good  job  it  was  open,  or  he  might  have 
been  guillotined,  eh,  what  ?  " 

"  No  one  was  injured,  I  hope." 

"  Another  fellow  said  I  bent  his  ribs ;  but  they 
sprang  all  right  under  the  vet's  thumb.  Tell  me, 
why  does  our  baronial  friend  look  so  vinegary?  He 

87 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

chattered  like  a  magpie  in  the  police  bureau,  or 
whatever  it  is  called,  at  Semlin." 

"  Lord  Adalbert  wishes  me  to  explain  that  a  dis- 
agreeable incident  had  ended  happily,"  said  Alec 
to  von  Rothstein. 

"  I  am  not  sure  that  it  has  ended,  your  Majesty," 
was  the  grim  reply. 

"  Well,  then,  shall  we  say  that  it  has  taken  a  satis- 
factory turn?  You  see,  my  dear  Baron,  I  am  quite 
a  young  King,  and  I  shall  commit  many  blunders 
before  I  learn  the  usages  of  diplomacy.  But  I  mean 
well,  and  that  goes  a  long  way, — much  farther  than 
Semlin,  even  beyond  Vienna." 


88 


CHAPTER  V 

FELIX  SURMOUNTS  A  DIFFICULTY 

COUNT  JULIUS  MAEULITCH  and  his  friend  Con- 
stantine  Beliani,  the  one  savagely  impatient,  the 
other  moody  and  preoccupied,  sprawled  listlessly 
in  Marulitch's  flat  in  the  Avenue  Victor  Hugo,  and, 
though  it  was  evening,  each  was  reading  "  The 
Matin."  That  is  to  say,  each  was  pretending  to 
read;  but  their  thoughts  did  not  follow  the  printed 
words.  Alexis  III.  had  reigned  only  ten  days,  yet 
the  most  enterprising  of  the  Paris  newspapers  was 
already  making  a  feature  of  a  column  headed :  "  Our 
dear  Alec,  day  by  day."  It  ought  to  be  an  interest- 
ing record  to  these  two  men,  yet  it  evidently  was  not 
one-tenth  so  humorous  as  "  The  Matin "  believed, 
since  there  was  a  deep  frown  on  both  faces. 

At  last  Marulitch  flung  the  paper  aside  with  an 
angry  snarl. 

"Ah,  bah!"  he  growled.  "May  the  devil  fly 
away  with  our  dear  Alec  and  his  doings  day  by  day ! 
A  nice  pair  of  fools  we  made  of  ourselves  when  we 
pitchforked  him  into  power !  " 

"  Patience,  my  friend,  patience ! "  said  the  Greek. 
"Everything  comes  to  him  who  waits,  and  Alec  will 

89 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

fall  far  when  his  luck  changes.  It  may  be  to-morrow, 
or  next  week ;  but  he  must  experience  a  reverse.  He 
is  like  a  gambler  at  Monte  Carlo  who  stakes  max- 
imums  just  because  the  table  is  running  favorably." 

"  Fish !  "  snorted  Marulitch.  "  What  else  would 
a  gambler  do?  " 

"  What  indeed  ?  "  agreed  Beliani,  though  a  far 
less  alert  intelligence  than  Marulitch's  might  have 
known  that  he  was  annoyed.  The  pink  and  white 
Julius,  whom  his  friends  had  nicknamed  "  le  beau 
Comte,"  did  not  fail  to  catch  the  contemptuous  note 
of  that  purred  answer ;  he  sprang  up  from  his  chair, 
ransacked  a  cupboard,  and  threw  on  the  table  a  box 
of  those  priceless  cigarettes,  the  produce  of  a  single 
southwesterly  hillside  at  Salonica,  that  are  manu- 
factured solely  for  the  Sultan  of  Turkey. 

"  There,  smoke,  my  Constantine,"  he  laughed 
harshly.  "  Why  should  we  quarrel ?  We  were  idiots. 
Let  us,  then,  admit  it." 

"Were  we?" 

"  Can  you  deny  it?  We  arranged  the  first  move 
beautifully.  With  Theodore  out  of  the  way " 

The  Greek  turned  his  head  swiftly  and  looked  at 
the  door.  Marulitch  lowered  his  voice. 

"No  need  to  refer  to  Theodore,  you  will  say? 
How  can  one  avoid  it  ?  His  death  was  the  cornerstone 
of  the  edifice.  If  only  that  senile  uncle  of  mine  had 
become  King  the  path  would  be  clear  for  the  final 
coup  before  the  year  was  out.  And  now  where  are 
we?  What  purpose  do  we  serve  by  self  delusion? 

90 


Felix  Surmounts  a  Difficulty 

Each  day's  newspaper  bears  witness  to  our  folly. 
Alec  carries  the  Assembly  by  storm;  Alec  captures 
a  would-be  assassin ;  Alec  flouts  Austria ;  Alec  dis- 
bands the  Seventh  Regiment  and  hands  its  officers 
to  the  police ;  Alec  attends  the  funeral  of  Theodore 
and  Helena,  and  takes  over  their  servants  and  debts ; 
Alec  tells  the  Sultan  that  he  exists  in  Europe  only  on 
sufferance;  Alec  draws  a  map  of  Kosnovia  and  dec- 
orates it  with  railways ;  Alec  bathes  in  the  Danube 
at  six,  breakfasts  at  seven,  attends  a  christening  at 
eight,  a  wedding  at  nine,  a  review  at  ten,  a  memorial 
service  in  the  cathedral  at  eleven,  lunches  at  twelve, 
receives  provincial  deputations  at  one,  inaugurates 
the  Delgratz  Polo  Club  at  two  and  the  Danubian 
Rowing  Club  at  three, — Alec  round  the  clock,  and 
all  Europe  agape  to  know  what  next  he  will  be  up 
to — and  you  and  I  here,  unknown,  unrecorded, — you 
and  I,  the  brains,  the  eyes,  the  organizers  of  the  whole 
affair!  Oh,  it  makes  me  sick  when  I  remember  how 
I  stood  like  a  stuck  pig  in  old  Delgrado's  flat  and 
let  the  son  jump  in  and  snatch  from  the  father's 
hands  the  scepter  I  had  purchased  so  dearly ! " 

The  Greek  rose  languidly,  strolled  to  the  door, 
and  threw  it  open.  A  page  boy  was  in  the  lobby, 
and  it  was  easy  to  see  by  his  innocent  face  that  his 
presence  there  was  inspired  by  no  more  sinister  motive 
than  to  deliver  a  newspaper. 

Beliani  took  it,  closed  the  door,  listened  a  moment, 
and  unfolded  the  damp  sheet.  He  glanced  at  its 
foreign  news. 

91 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

" '  Le  Soir '  gives  prominence  to  a  rumor  that 
King  Alexis  will  marry  a  Montenegrin  Princess," 
he  murmured  composedly. 

"  Mirabel,  of  course?  " 

"  She  is  unnamed." 

"  That's  it.  I  know,  I  know !  He  will  marry 
Mirabel.  By  Heaven!  if  he  does,  I'll  shoot  him 
myself ! " 

"  The  trial  of  the  regicides  is  fixed  for  June," 
went  on  Beliani,  wholly  unmoved  by  Marulitch's 
vehemence.  "  Now,  the  vital  question  is,  How  far 
can  Stampoff  be  relied  on  ?  " 

"  How  does  our  reliance  on  Stampoff  concern 
Mirabel?  " 

"  I  am  not  thinking  of  Mirabel,  but  of  Julius  and 
Constantine.  If  Stampoff  tells  our  young  Bayard 
everything,  Delgratz  is  no  place  for  you  and  me, 
my  veteran." 

Marulitch,  though  trembling  with  passion,  could 
not  fail  to  see  that  the  Greek  was  remarkably  non- 
chalant for  one  who  had  witnessed  the  utter  collapse 
of  ten  years  of  work  and  expenditure. 

"  Are  we  going  there  ?  "  he  managed  to  ask  without 
a  curse. 

"  Soon,  quite  soon,  provided  Stampoff  keeps  a  still 
tongue." 

"  But  why  ?  To  grace  the  coronation  by  our 
presence?  " 

"  It  may  be.  Remember,  if  you  please,  that  we 
are  Alec's  best  friends.  We  gave  him  his  chance. 

92 


Felix  Surmounts  a  Difficulty 

I  offered  to  finance  him ;  did  finance  Stampoff  in  fact. 
We  are  unknown  personally  to  the  officers  of  the 
Seventh.  That  was  wise,  Julius,  far-seeing,  on  my 
part.  Oh,  yes,  we  must  go  to  Delgratz.  Delgratz 
is  the  nerve  center  now." 

"  You  are  keeping  something  from  me." 

"  On  my  honor,  no.  But  you  sneered  at  my  par- 
able of  the  successful  gambler,  whereas  I  believe  in 
it  implicitly.  I  have  seen  that  type  of  fool  backing 
the  red,  staking  his  six  thousand  francs  on  every 
coup,  and  have  watched  a  run  of  twelve,  thirteen, 
seventeen,  twenty-one;  but  the  smash  came  at  last." 

"  What  matter  ?  A  man  who  wins  twenty  times 
can  well  afford  to  lose  once." 

"  I  said  a  gambler,  not  a  financier,"  smiled  Beliani. 
"  But  let  it  pass.  I  thought  you  told  me  there  was 
a  girl  here  in  Paris " 

"  So  there  is,  a  beauty  too ;  but  Alec  has  meanwhile 
become  a  King." 

"  A  somewhat  peculiar  King.  He  has  borrowed 
his  regal  notions  from  America  rather  than  Kos- 
novia,  Julius.  He  would  laugh  at  any  claim  of 
divine  right.  One  of  these  days  you  will  find  him 
chaffing  the  Hohenzollerns,  and  that  is  dangerous 
jesting  in  the  Balkans.  If  he  loves  a  girl  in  Paris, 
he  will  not  marry  your  Mirabel.  I  fancy  I  have 
taken  his  measure.  If  I  am  right,  he  is  far  too 
honest  to  occupy  the  throne  of  Kosnovia." 

"  Grand  Dieu!  the  country  is  pining  for  honest 
government.  Even  you  will  grant  that." 

93 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

"  Even  I,  as  you  say ;  but  I  should  be  wrong.  If 
I  have  an  ax  to  grind,  so  has  the  other  fellow.  Kos- 
novia  is  in  the  East,  and  the  East  loves  deceit.  Alec 
has  dazzled  the  people  for  a  few  days.  Wait  till  he 
begins  to  sweep  the  bureaus  free  of  well  paid  sine- 
curists.  Wait  till  he  finds  out  how  the  money  is  spent 
that  the  Assembly  votes  for  railways,  education, 
forestry,  and  the  like.  Wait  till  he  reduces  the  staff 
of  the  army  and  the  secretaries.  I  know  Delgratz 
and  Kosnovia,  and  he  does  not.  He  will  win  the 
people,  it  is  true;  but  he  will  alienate  the  men  who 
can  twist  the  people  this  way  and  that  to  suit  their 
own  purposes.  Before  a  month  is  out  he  will  be 
wrangling  with  the  Assembly.  See  if  I  am  not  a 
prophet.  Oh,  yes,  Julius,  you  and  I  must  go  to 
Delgratz.  No  hurry ;  slow  but  sure.  I'll  break 
the  journey  at  Vienna.  We  must  sound  Stampoff 
too.  But  before  I  go,  I  should  like  to  be  sure  that 
the  girl  has  gone  there." 

"  The  artist  girl  to  Delgratz !  " 

Julius  was  bitter  and  skeptical;  but  he  reposed 
such  confidence  in  Beliani's  judgment  that  he  choked 
his  doubts.  "  Yes.  Can  it  be  managed?  " 

Le  beau  Comte  leered,  and  the  satyr  grin  was 
highly  expressive.  It  seemed  to  show  the  man's  real 
nature.  In  repose  his  face  was  insipid;  now  for  an 
instant  he  resembled  the  god  Pan. 

"  You  called  Alec  a  Bayard  just  now.  Not  a  bad 
title  for  him.  He  has  that  kind  of  repute  among  his 
friends.  Perhaps  the  girl  is  built  on  the  same  lines, 


Felix  Surmounts  a  Difficulty 

and  w,e  don't  want  to  send  a  pretty  saint  to  Delgratz 
merely  to  inspire  him  to  fresh  efforts." 

The  Greek  inhaled  a  deep  breath  of  the  aromatic 
smoke.  "  You'll  be  an  average  sort  of  King,  Julius ; 
but  you  are  not  a  philosopher,"  said  he  thoughtfully. 
"  I  tell  you  we  are  safer  than  ever  if  we  can  bring 
him  and  the  girl  together.  He  will  marry  her,  you 
short  sighted  one — marry  her,  and  thus  alienate  every 
Slav  in  the  Balkans.  I  have  turned  this  thing  in  my 
mind  constantly  since  I  recovered  from  the  first  shock 
of  his  achievement,  and  I  am  fairly  certain  of  my 
ground.  Mark  you,  Princess  Mirabel  of  Montenegro 
will  be  reported,  to-morrow  as  out  of  the  running. 
If  that  is  so,  you  will  begin  to  believe  me  and  stop 
clawing  your  hair  and  injuring  your  fine  complexion 
by  scowling." 

Next  morning's  "  Matin  "  announced  that  King 
Alexis  was  greatly  annoyed  by  the  mischievous  and 
utterly  unfounded  canard  that  bracketed  his  name 
with  that  of  a  woman  he  had  never  seen.  Count 
Julius  read,  and  made  a  hasty  toilet.  Beliani  and 
he  had  laid  their  plans  overnight,  and  he  lost  no  time 
in  opening  the  new  campaign. 

It  was  a  difficult  and  delicate  task  he  had  under- 
taken. Paris,  big  in  many  respects,  is  small  in  its 
society,  which,  because  of  its  well  marked  limits,  makes 
a  noise  in  the  world  quite  incommensurate  with  its 
importance;  whereas  London,  close  neighbor  and 
rival,  contains  a  dozen  definite  circles  that  seldom 
overlap.  The  woman  Julius  had  seen  with  Alec  in 

95 


the  Louvre  was  not  on  Princess  Michael's  visiting 
list,  of  that  he  had  no  manner  of  doubt.  Therefore, 
from  his  point  of  view,  the  only  possible  solution  of 
their  apparent  friendship  would  prove  to  be  some- 
thing underhanded  and  clandestine,  an  affair  of 
secret  meetings,  and  letters  signed  in  initials,  and 
a  tacit  agreement  to  move  unhindered  in  different 
orbits. 

Being  of  the  nature  of  dogs  and  aboriginal 
trackers,  Marulitch  made  straight  for  the  Louvre. 
There  he  had  quitted  the  trail,  and  there  must  he 
pick  it  up  again.  But  the  hunt  demanded  the  ut- 
most wariness.  If  he  startled  the  quarry,  he  might 
fail  at  the  outset,  and,  supposing  his  talking  was 
successful,  both  he  and  Beliani  must  still  beware  of 
a  King's  vengeance  if  their  project  miscarried. 

Neither  man  had  the  slightest  belief  in  Alec's 
innate  nobility  of  character.  Beliani  likened  him 
to  Bayard,  it  is  true,  and  Marulitch  had  scoffingly 
adopted  the  simile ;  but  that  was  because  each  thought 
Bayard  not  admirable,  but  a  fool.  The  somber  his- 
tory of  the  Kosnovian  monarchy,  a  record  of  crass 
stupidity  made  lurid  at  times  by  a  lightning  gleam 
of  passion,  justified  the  belief  that  Alexis  would 
follow  the  path  that  led  Theodore,  and  Ferdinand, 
and  Ivan,  and  Milosch  to  their  ruin.  Each  of  these 
rulers  began  to  reign  under  favorable  auspices,  yet 
each  succumbed  to  the  siren's  spell,  and  there  was  no 
reason  at  all,  according  to  such  reckoning,  why  the 
handsome  and  impulsive  Alexis  should  escape.  That 

96 


Felix  Surmounts  a  Difficulty 

a  pretty  Parisienne  who  was  also  an  artist  should 
fail  to  offer  herself  as  a  willing  bait  did  not  enter 
at  all  into  the  calculation. 

"  Be  suave,  spend  money,  and  keep  in  the  back- 
ground," said  the  Greek. 

Julius  entered  the  Grande  Galerie  prepared  to 
apply  these  instructions  through  the  medium  of  his 
own  subtle  wit.  At  the  outset,  luck  favored  him. 
Somehow,  it  is  always  easier  to  do  evil  than  good, 
and  the  longevity  of  evil  is  notorious,  whereas  the 
short  lived  existence  of  good  would  horrify  an  in- 
surance agent. 

Joan  was  not  present;  but  Felix  Poluski  was  pre- 
paring a  canvas  for  his  twenty-seventh  copy  of  the 
famous  Murillo.  Two  of  his  "  Immaculate  Concep- 
tions "  were  in  private  collections ;  one  had  been  sold 
to  a  South  American  millionaire  as  the  Spanish 
artist's  own  duplicate  of  the  picture,  though  Poluski 
was  unaware  of  the  fraud ;  and  twenty-three  adorned 
the  high  altars  of  various  continental  churches,  where 
they  edified  multitudes  happily  ignorant  of  the  irrev- 
erent conditions  under  which  the  cheery  souled  an- 
archist hunchback  droned  his  snatches  of  song  and 
extracted  from  a  few  tubes  of  paint  some  glimpse  of 
heaven,  and  rays  of  sunlight,  and  hints  of  divine  love 
and  divine  maternity. 

The  crooked  little  Pole's  genius  and  character 
were  alike  unknown  to  Count  Julius.  He  saw  only 
a  quaintly  artistic  personage  who  might  possibly 
be  acquainted  with  such  a  remarkable  looking  habitue 

97 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

of  the  gallery  as  Joan.  Instead,  therefore,  of  appeal- 
ing to  one  of  the  officials,  he  approached  Poluski, 
and  the  two  exchanged  greetings  with  the  politeness 
that  Paris  quickly  teaches  to  those  who  dwell  within 
her  gates. 

"  You  work  in  this  gallery  most  days,  monsieur  ?  " 
said  Julius. 

"  But  yes,  monsieur,"  said  Felix. 

"  About  a  fortnight  ago,  monsieur,"  explained 
Marulitch,  "  I  happened  to  be  here  at  this  hour,  and 
I  noticed  a  young  lady  copying  one  of  the  pictures 
on  the  opposite  wall.  Can  you  tell  me  who  she 
was?" 

"  Can  you  tell  me  which  picture  she  was  copying?  " 
said  Poluski. 

"  I  am  not  sure ;  this  one,  I  think,"  and  Julius 
pointed  to  "  The  Fortune  Teller." 

"  Ah !     Describe  her,  monsieur." 

"  She  was  tall,  elegant,  charming  in  manner  and 
appearance." 

Poluski  appeared  to  reflect.  "  The  vision  sounds 
entrancing,  monsieur,"  he  said ;  "  but  that  sort  of 
girl  doesn't  usually  earn  her  crusts  by  daubing  canvas 
in  the  Louvre  at  so  much  a  square  foot." 

"  Yet  I  saw  her,  without  a  doubt.  She  was  not 
alone  that  morning.  In  fact,  a  friend  of  mine  was 
with  her." 

Poluski  turned  to  his  easel.  He  was  in  no  mind 
to  discuss  Joan  with  this  inquiring  dandy. 

"  That  simplifies  your  search,  monsieur,"  said  he 
98 


Felix  Surmounts  a  Difficulty 

carelessly.     "  All  that  is  necessary  is  to  go  to  your 
friend." 

"  I  cannot.     He  is  not  in  Paris." 

"  Where  is  he?  " 

"  Far  enough  away  to  render  it  impossible  that 
he  should  solve  my  dilemma  to-day.  And  the  thing 
is  urgent.  I  have  a  commission  to  offer,  a  good  one. 
If  you  help,  you  will  be  doing  the  young  lady  a  turn 
— and  yourself,  too,  perhaps." 

"  Kindly  explain,  monsieur." 

"  I  mean  that  I  will  gladly  pay  for  any  infor- 
mation." 

"  How  much?     Five,  ten  francs,  a  louis?  " 

The  Pole's  sarcasm  was  not  to  be  mistaken.  Julius 
was  warned  and  drew  back  hurriedly. 

"  I  really  beg  your  pardon,"  he  said ;  "  but  I  am  so 
anxious  to  carry  out  my  undertaking  that  I  have 
expressed  myself  awkwardly,  and  I  see  now  that  you 
are  misinterpreting  my  motives.  Let  me  speak  quite 
candidly.  I  have  no  desire  to  meet  the  lady  in  person. 
An  art  connoisseur,  who  admires  her  work,  wishes  to 
send  her  to  a  cathedral  in  a  distant  city  to  copy  a 
painting.  He  will  pay  well.  He  offers  traveling 
expenses,  hotel  bill,  and  five  thousand  francs.  The 
picture  is  not  a  large  one,  and  the  work  easy,  a 
Byzantine  study  of  Saint  Peter,  I  believe.  If  you 
tell  me,  monsieur,  that  you  can  arrange  the  matter, 
I  shall  be  pleased  to  leave  it  entirely  in  your  hands." 

"  Since  when  did  Alec  become  a  connoisseur  ?  " 
demanded  Poluski,  grinning. 

99 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

Marulitch  was  startled ;  but  he  smiled  with  a  ready 
self  possession  that  did  him  credit.  "  It  was  in 
Monsieur  Delgrado's  company  I  saw  the  fair  un- 
known," he  admitted ;  "  but  this  affair  does  not  rest 
with  him.  It  is  genuine,  absolutely." 

"  Nevertheless,  this  Byzantine  Saint  Peter  hangs 
in  Delgratz,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  I— I  think  so." 

"  Five  thousand  francs,  you  said,  and  expenses. 
Not  bad.  I'm  a  pretty  good  hand  myself.  Will  I 
do?" 

The  Pole  was  enjoying  the  stupid  little  plot;  for 
it  could  wear  no  other  guise  to  him,  and  Count  Julius 
was  mortified  by  the  knowledge  that  he  had  blundered 
egregiously  at  the  first  step  in  the  negotiation.  What 
would  Beliani  say?  This  wizened  elf  of  a  man  had 
seen  clear  through  their  precious  scheme  in  an  in- 
stant, and,  worst  of  all,  it  had  not  advanced  an  inch. 
Julius  made  a  virtue  of  necessity,  and  placed  all 
his  cards  on  the  table. 

"  I  want  you  to  credit  my  statements,"  he  said 
emphatically.  "  This  proposal  is  quite  straightfor- 
ward. My  principal  is  prepared  to  pay  half  the 
money  down  before  the  lady  leaves  Paris,  and  the 
balance  when  the  picture  is  delivered.  Further,  he 
will  bear  the  expenses  of  any  one  who  accompanies 
her, — a  relative,  or  a  friend,  such  as  yourself,  for 
instance.  I  don't  figure  in  the  matter  at  all.  I  am 
a  mere  go-between,  and  if  you  think  otherwise  you 
are  utterly  mistaken." 

100 


Felix  Surmounts  a  Difficulty 

Felix  began  to  whistle  softly  between  his  teeth, 
and  the  action  annoyed  Julius  so  greatly  that  he  de- 
cided to  try  a  new  line. 

"  I  seem  to  have  amused  you  by  my  sincerity, 
monsieur !  "  he  snapped.  "  Pray  forget  that  I  have 

troubled  you " 

'  "  But  why,  my  paragon?  Que  diable!  one  does  not 
spurn  five  thousand  francs  like  that!  I  hum  or 
whistle  when  I  am  thinking,  and  just  now  I  am  won- 
dering how  this  business  can  be  arranged.  Who  is 
your  client?  " 

"  Who  is  yours  ?  "  retorted  Julius. 

"  She  exists,  at  any  rate." 

"  So  does  the  other." 

"  Well,  then,  let  us  meet  to-morrow " 

"  But  time  is  all  important." 

"  There  can't  be  such  a  mortal  hurry,  seeing  that 
Saint  Peter  has  hung  so  long  undisturbed  in  Del- 
gratz,"  said  Felix  dryly.  "  Moreover,  it  will  clear 
the  air  if  I  tell  you  that  the  lady  is  not  in  Paris,  so 
I  cannot  possibly  give  you  her  answer  before  to- 
morrow morning." 

"  How  can  I  be  sure  that  she  is  the  person  actually 
intended  for  this  commission  ?  " 

"  There  won't  be  the  least  doubt  about  it  when 
King  Alexis  III.  sets  eyes  on  her." 

Julius  was  certainly  not  himself  that  day.  His 
pink  face  grew  crimson  with  amazement.  "  If  you 
tell  her  that  you  will  defeat  my  friend's  object  in 
sending  her  to  Delgratz !  "  he  blurted  out. 

101 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

"  Eh,  what  are  you  saying?  What,  then,  becomes 
of  that  poor  Saint  Peter?  " 

"  Exactly.  She  is  going  there  to  copy  it,  not  to 
philander  with  Alec." 

Poluski  screwed  his  eyes  up  until  he  was  peering 
at  Julius's  excited  features  as  if  endeavoring  to 
catch  some  transient  color  effect.  "  Frankly,  you 
puzzle  me,"  he  said  after  a  pause;  "but  come  again 
to-morrow.  And  no  tricks,  no  spying  or  that  sort 
of  thing!  I  am  the  wrong  man  for  it.  If  you 
doubt  me,  ask  some  one  who  has  heard  of  Felix 
Poluski.  You  see,  Count  Julius  Marulitch,  I  am 
far  more  open  than  you.  I  knew  you  all  the  time, 
and  as  to  your  motives,  I  can  guess  a  good  deal 
that  I  don't  actually  know.  Still,  there  is  nothing 
positively  dishonest  about  a  Byzantine  Saint  Peter. 
It  is  not  art,  but  five  thousand  francs  sounds  like 
business.  Half  the  cash  down,  you  said;  anything 
by  way  of  preliminary  expenses  ?  " 

"  Meaning?  " 

"  Say,  one  per  cent.,  fifty  francs.  Otherwise,  I 
must  paint  all  day  and  trust  to  the  post — the  least 
eloquent  of  ambassadors." 

"  Oh,  as  to  that,"  and  Julius  produced  a  hundred- 
franc  note  from  his  pocketbook. 

The  Pole  accepted  it  gravely.  "  I  go  instantly, 
monsieur,"  he  said.  He  began  to  fold  his  easel  and 
put  away  his  brushes  and  colors.  Once  he  glanced 
up  at  the  rapt  Madonna. 

"  Au  'voir,  ma  belle,"  he  murmured.  This  affair 
102 


Felix  Surmounts  a  Difficulty 

of  Saint  Peter  must  be  arranged.  It  presses.  They 
change  Kings  speedily  in  Delgratz  nowadays,  and 
their  taste  in  saints  may  follow  suit.  But,  courage! 
I  shall  return,  and  who  knows  what  will  come  of  this 
excursion  into  the  forgotten  realm  of  Byzantium?" 

Count  Marulitch,  of  course,  had  not  counted  on 
one  who  was  a  complete  stranger  not  only  recognizing 
him  but  stripping  the  pretense  so  thoroughly  of  the 
artistic  commission  offered  to  Alec's  fair  companion 
of  that  memorable  morning.  He  must  put  the  best 
face  on  his  blunder  when  discussing  it  with  Beliani, 
and  he  promised  himself  a  quite  definite  understand- 
ing with  Poluski  ere  another  sou  left  his  pocket. 

Meanwhile,  who  was  Poluski?  That  question,  at 
least,  could  be  answered  easily.  One  clue  might  lead 
to  another.  To-morrow,  when  they  met,  it  might 
be  his  turn  to  astonish  the  warped  little  Pole. 

Felix,  feeling  that  he  had  spoiled  the  Egyptians 
excellently  well,  hobbled  off  to  his  favorite  cafe. 
Early  as  the  hour  was,  various  cronies  were  there 
already,  sipping  their  morning  refreshments;  but 
he  passed  them  with  a  nod  and  made  for  the  fat 
proprietress  throned  behind  a  high  desk.  When  she 
caught  sight  of  him,  a  certain  air  of  firmness  seemed 
to  struggle  with  sympathy  for  possession  of  her 
bulging  features,  and  she  hastily  thumbed  a  small 
account  book  taken  from  beneath  a  pile  of  waiter's 
dockets. 

"  How  much,  madame  ?  "  asked  Felix,  who  had 
missed  none  of  this. 

103 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

"  Twenty-seven  seventy-five,"  she  said  severely. 

"  Can  one  make  it  thirty,  mignonne?  " 

"  Thirty !  Tell  me,  then,  how  market  bills  are 
to  be  met  when  one  is  owed  these  thirties?  ' 

"  Dear  angel,  Providence  has  decided  that  you  shall 
deal  with  such  problems." 

"  Well,  well,  no  more,  not  a  centime  beyond  the 
thirty ! " 

"  Monstrous,  yet  all  heart !  "  murmured  Felix.  He 
struck  an  attitude,  and  sang  with  exquisite  feeling 
the  opening  bars  of  the  Jewel  Song  from  "  Faust." 
As  applied  to  the  earthly  tabernacle  of  madame's 
generous  soul,  the  effect  of  that  impassioned  address 
was  ludicrous.  But  Felix  recked  little  of  that.  He 
threw  the  hundred-franc  note  on  the  counter. 

"  There,  ma  petite,  be  rewarded  for  your  trust," 
he  cried.  "  Now  give  me  the  railway  timetable ; 
for  I  have  far  to  go  ere  I  return,  when  you  and 
I  shall  crack  a  bottle  of  Clos  Vosgeot  with  our 
dinner." 

Madame,  who  had  not  betrayed  the  least  embarrass- 
ment when  she  and  her  cafe  were  apostrophized  in 
Gounod's  impassioned  strains,  was  utterly  bewildered 
by  Poluski's  wealth.  Not  once  in  many  years  had 
he  owned  so  much  at  one  time,  since  he  always  drew 
small  sums  on  account  of  his  pictures  and  kept  him- 
self going  hand-to-mouth  fashion.  But  here  was 
Felix  intent  on  the  timetable  and  sweeping  seventy- 
two  francs  twenty-five  centimes  of  change  into  his 
pocket  without  troubling  to  count  a  coin. 

104 


Felix  Surmounts  a  Difficulty 

"  You  have  found  a  mad  Englishman,  I  suppose?  " 
tittered  madame. 

"  Better,  far  better,  ma  cherie;  I  have  met  a  man 
who  would  be  a  King ! "  He  hurried  out,  climbed 
into  a  passing  omnibus,  and  descended  at  the  Gare 
de  Lyon. 

Joan  was  just  leaving  the  pretty  hotel  at  Barbizon, 
meaning  to  put  in  some  hours  of  work  after  a 
distracted  morning,  when  Felix  emerged  from  the 
interior  of  a  ramshackle  cab  that  had  carried  him 
from  Melun  to  the  edge  of  the  forest.  Now,  a  cab 
drive  of  several  miles,  plus  a  journey  from  Paris, 
was  a  sufficiently  rare  event  in  Poluski's  life  to  make 
Joan  stare.  His  unexpected  appearance  chimed  so 
oddly  with  her  own  disturbed  thoughts  that  she  paled. 

"  Felix,"  she  cried,  "  have  you  brought  ill  news  ?  " 

"  Of  whom,  chere  mademoiselle?  "  he  demanded. 

"Of— of  any  one?" 

"  Alec  still  reigns,  if  that  is  what  you  mean." 

"  But  he  has  sent  you  ?  " 

"  What,  do  I  look  like  an  envoy  ?  "  He  laughed. 
"  Well,  well,  ma  belle,  there  is  some  truth  in  that. 
I  come  in  behalf  of  one  before  whom  even  Kings  must 
bow ;  I  represent  Saint  Peter !  But  even  an  apostolic 
dynamitard  must  eat.  I  am  starving,  having  sacri- 
ficed my  luncheon  to  my  love  of  you.  Commend  me, 
then,  to  some  deft  handed  waiter,  and  let  hunger 
and  curiosity  be  sated  at  the  same  time." 

Joan  knew  that  Poluski  would  choose  his  own  way 
of  explaining  his  presence.  The  hour  for  luncheon 

105 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

was  long  past;  but  she  hurried  to  the  empty  dining 
room  and  was  able  to  secure  some  soup  and  a  cold 
chicken.  Felix  eyed  the  bird  distrustfully. 

"  Although  I  am  here  in  behalf  of  Saint  Peter, 
there  is  no  sense  in  asking  me  to  chew  the  wretched 
fowl  that  proclaimed  his  downfall,"  he  muttered. 

"  Oh,  Felix  dear,  please  do  tell  me  what  has  hap- 
pened !  "  said  Joan,  clasping  her  hands  in  real  dis- 
tress. "  I  received  a  letter  from  Alec  this  morning. 
It  was  sent  to  me  from  my  lodgings,  and,  what  be- 
tween that  and  the  extraordinary  things  in  the  news- 
papers, I  think  I  am  bewitched.  Now  I  am  sure 
that  you  too  have  heard  from  him.  Is  it  a  tele- 
gram? " 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  "  a  message  sent  without  wires ; 
it  came  by  one  of  those  underground  currents  that 
convulse  an  unconscious  world,  sometimes  agonizing 
mountains,  at  others  perplexing  a  simple  maid  like 
yourself.  You  see,  Joan,  all  things  conspire  to  draw 
you  to  Delgratz." 

"  I  am  not  going ! "  she  vowed,  thereby  giving 
Poluski  the  exact  information  he  needed;  for  his 
nimble  brain  was  beginning  to  see  the  connection 
between  Alec's  letter  and  Count  Julius  Marulitch's 
intense  desire  to  avail  himself  of  Joan's  skill  as  a 
copyist. 

"  You  are,  my  dear,"  he  said,  dropping  his  banter- 
ing tone  and  looking  her  straight  in  the  eyes. 

"  How  can  such  an  absurdity  be  dreamed  of?  " 
she  demanded  breathlessly. 

106 


Felix  Surmounts  a  Difficulty 

"  Because  it  is  a  dream  that  will  come  true.  Lis- 
ten, now,  and  don't  be  afraid,  for  these  gray  old 
trees  of  Barbizon  have  heard  madder  whisperings 
than  that  you  should  become  a  Queen.  It  is  in  the 
natural  order  of  things  that  I,  who  gave  my  best 
years  to  devising  the  ruin  of  Kings,  should  be  chosen 
in  my  dotage  to  help  in  fixing  a  King  firmly  on  his 
throne.  It  is  some  sport  of  the  gods,  I  suppose,  a 
superhuman  jest,  perhaps  the  touch  of  farce  that 
makes  tragedy  more  vivid,  since  even  that  colossal 
Shakespeare  of  yours  thought  fit  to  lighten  Hamlet 
by  introducing  a  comic  gravedigger.  Be  that  as  it 
may,  Joan,  you  are  Alec's  Queen,  and,  as  he  cannot 
come  for  you  it  follows  that  you  must  go  to  him. 
Shall  I  tell  you  why?  You  are  necessary  to  him. 
It  is  decreed,  and  you  cannot  shirk  your  lot.  He 
knows  it,  and  he  has  written  to  bid  you  come.  His 
enemies  know  it ;  but  there  is  a  kind  of  knowledge  that 
leads  its  votaries  blindfold  to  the  pit,  and  Alec's 
enemies  are  blindly  plotting  now  to  send  you  to 
Delgratz  and  thus  compass  his  ruin. 

"  Felix !     What  are  you  saying  ?  " 

"  The  truth,  the  simple  truth.  Not  a  whiff  of 
metaphor  or  extravagance  about  that  statement, 
Joan.  This  morning  a  man  came  to  me  in  the 
Louvre.  He  was  seeking  you.  He  wants  to  pay 
you  five  thousand  francs  for  a  copy  of  some  blazoned 
daub  that  hangs  in  the  cathedral  at  Delgratz.  He 
will  pay  double,  four  times,  the  money  if  only  you 
will  consent  to  go  there.  Why  ?  Because  he  believes 

107 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

that  Alec  is  infatuated  about  you,  and  that  the  mere 
hint  of  marriage  with  one  who  is  not  a  Slav  princess 
will  shatter  the  throne  of  Kosnovia  about  the  ears 
of  its  present  occupant.  My  anxious  visitor  is 
mistaken,  of  course.  He  is  trying  to  do  good  that 
evil  may  come  of  it;  but  while  there  is  justice  in 
Heaven  any  such  perversion  of  an  eternal  principle 
is  foredoomed  to  failure. 

"  But  just  think  of  that  man  coming  to  me,  Felix 
Poluski,  who  has  an  ear  for  every  sob  that  rises  from 
the  unhappy  people  who  dwell  in  the  borderland  be- 
tween Teuton  and  Tartar!  Isn't  that  the  cream  of 
comedy?  When  I  make  everything  clear  to  you, 
when  I  show  you  how  and  by  whom  the  killing  of 
Theodore  and  his  wife  was  engineered,  you  will  begin 
to  understand  the  fantastic  trick  that  Fate  played 
when  she  sent  her  emissary  to  the  hunchback  artist 
in  the  Louvre.  But  it  is  a  long  story,  and  it  will 
beguile  the  journey  across  Austria,  while  there  are 
many  things  you  must  attend  to  ere  you  leave  Paris 
in  the  Orient  Express  to-morrow  night." 

"  Felix,  it  is  impossible !  " 

"  Ah !     Then  you  don't  love  our  Alec." 

"  I — I  have  not  heard  a  word  from  his  lips — 
well,  hardly  a  syllable " 

"Not  in  the  letter?" 

"  That  is  different.  Felix,  I  can  trust  you.  Per- 
haps, under  other  conditions,  I  might  marry  Alec; 
but  now  I  cannot." 

"Why?" 

108 


Felix  Surmounts  a  Difficulty 

"  Because  he  is  a  King." 

"  The  best  of  reasons,  if  he  was  bred  in  a  palace. 
But  he  has  lived  long  enough  to  become  a  man  first. 
Frankly,  Joan,  I  like  Alec,  and  I  think  he  ought 
to  be  given  a  chance.  At  any  rate,  I  don't  see  why 
you  are  afraid  of  him." 

"  I  am  not.  Indeed,  I  am  not ! "  Joan's  voice 
was  tremulous.  She  was  on  the  verge  of  tears ;  for 
the  little  Pole's  persistence  was  breaking  down  the 
barrier  that  she  had  striven  to  erect  against  her 
lover's  pleading.  Alec  had  not  said  much  in  his 
letter ;  but  what  he  did  say  was  wholly  to  the  point. 

"  Come  to  me,  Joan,"  he  wrote.  "  Don't  wait. 
Don't  stop  and  worry  about  what  the  world  will 
say,  since  it  will  surely  be  something  bitter  and  un- 
true. The  people  here  are  all  right,  and  I  think  they 
are  beginning  to  like  me ;  but  I  can  see  quite  plainly 
that  they  will  not  be  content  until  I  am  married,  and 
hints  are  being  thrown  out  already  that  there  are 
several  eligible  young  ladies  in  neighboring  States. 
But  if  these  Kosnovians  take  me  they  must  take  you 
too,  and  it  will  be  far  easier  for  me  when  they  have 
seen  you. 

"  Now,  no  hesitation,  no  doubts,  no  weighing  of 
pros  and  cons.  Just  set  your  teeth  and  toss  your 
head  up,  and  tell  Pauline  to  sling  your  belongings 
into  your  boxes,  and  before  you  start  send  me  one 
word  in  a  telegram.  I  am  horribly  busy,  of  course 
(for  details  see  daily  papers),  and  this  must  be  the 
most  extraordinary  love  letter  ever  written ;  but  what 

109 


does  that  matter  when  you  and  I  understand  each 
other?  It  was  you  who  sent  me  here.  Don't  forget 
that,  dear  teller  of  fortunes,  and  I  want  you  to  be 
standing  by  my  side  when  the  storm  breaks  that 
must  surely  be  brewing  for  me  after  an  incredible 
success." 

There  was  more  in  the  same  vein.  Alexis  the 
King  seemed  to  differ  in  no  essential  from  the  Alec 
Delgrado  who  used  to  wait  for  her  every  day  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  Pont  Neuf.  Dare  she  risk  it? 
The  question  had  tortured  her  ever  since  the  early 
morning.  It  was  not  that  the  prospect  of  being  a 
Queen  was  dazzling  or  even  dismaying  in  itself;  she 
really  dreaded  the  result  of  such  a  marriage  on  the 
fortunes  of  the  man  she  loved. 

But  against  that  self  sacrificing  attitude  she  was 
forced  to  admit  the  plea  of  Alec's  own  bewildering 
lack  of  conventionality.  If  half  the  stories  in  the 
newspapers  were  true,  he  was  the  most  original 
minded  monarch  that  ever  reigned.  She  was  quite 
sure  that  his  answer  to  any  evasive  reply  on  her  part 
would  be  a  public  announcement  of  the  fact  that  his 
promised  bride  was  a  young  lady  in  Paris,  Joan 
Vernon  by  name.  And  that  would  be  worse  almost 
than  going  quietly  to  Delgratz  and  being  married 
there. 

What  was  she  to  do?  She  found  Felix  Poluski's 
gray  eyes  looking  at  her  steadfastly.  In  this  dilemma 
he  was  her  only  trusted  counselor,  and  he  had  already 
advised  her  to  yield. 

110 


Felix  Surmounts  a  Difficulty 

"  If  I  even  knew  his  relatives,"  she  faltered.  "  His 
parents  live  in  Paris.  We  have  never  met.  How 
can  I  say  to  his  mother,  *  Your  son  wants  me  to  marry 
him.  What  do  you  think  of  me  ?  '  She,  a  Princess, 
would  scoff  at  the  idea." 

"  Alec  is  well  aware  of  that ;  hence  he  has  written 
direct  to  you,  and  said  nothing  to  any  other  person. 
Let  me  assure  you  that  if  Prince  Michael  Delgrado 
had  gone  to  Delgratz  he  would  have  died  a  sudden 
and  violent  death.  Prince  Michael  knew  it,  and  de- 
clined the  distinction.  Believe  me,  too,  Alec  has  the 
very  best  of  reasons  for  consulting  no  one  in  his 
choice  of  a  wife.  Now,  Joan,  be  brave!  When  all 
is  said  and  done,  it  should  be  far  more  pleasant  to 
marry  a  King  than  fling  a  bomb  at  him,  and  I  have 
met  several  young  ladies  almost  as  pretty  as  you 
who  were  ready  enough  to  adopt  the  latter  alternative. 
At  any  rate  you  will  take  no  harm  by  crossing  the 
Danube.  It  is  not  the  Rubicon,  you  know,  and  you 
have  Saint  Peter  to  lean  on  in  case  of  difficulty." 

So  Felix  did  not  return  to  Paris  alone,  and  when 
he  met  Count  Julius  Marulitch  next  morning  in  the 
Louvre  he  was  able  to  announce  that  Miss  Joan 
Vernon  had  accepted  the  commission  to  copy  the 
Delgratz  Saint  Peter  and  was  ready  to  start  for 
Kosnovia  by  the  night  mail. 


in 


CHAPTER  VI 

JOAN  GOES  INTO  SOCIETY 

JOAN  did  not  telegraph  to  Alec.  She  destroyed 
each  of  half  a  dozen  attempts,  and  ended  by  taking 
refuge  in  silence.  It  was  impossible  to  say  what 
she  had  to  say  in  the  bald  language  of  a  telegram. 
Merely  to  announce  her  departure  from  Paris  would 
put  her  in  the  false  position  of  having  accepted  Alec's 
proposal  apparently  without  reserve,  which  was  ex- 
actly what  she  meant  not  to  do,  and  any  other  ex- 
planation of  the  journey  would  bewilder  him. 

Her  friend  Leontine,  housemaid  at  the  Chope  de 
la  Sorbonne,  did  not  fail  to  tell  her  of  Alec's  call 
the  day  she  left  Paris  for  Barbizon.  There  was  no 
mistaking  Leontine's  description,  which  was  impres- 
sionist to  a  degree.  It  was  evident,  then,  that  he 
not  only  possessed  her  address,  as  shown  by  the 
letter,  but  knew  of  her  absence.  So  she  reasoned  that 
if  he  did  not  hear  from  her  within  forty-eight  hours 
he  would  assume  that  she  was  still  away  from  home. 
By  that  time  she  would  be  in  Delgratz,  and,  although 
she  felt  some  uneasiness  at  the  prospect,  she  was 
brave  enough  not  to  shirk  meeting  him. 

They  were  not  children  that  they  should  be  afraid 
112 


Joan  Goes  into  Society 

of  speaking  their  thoughts,  nor  lovesick  romanticists, 
apt  to  be  swayed  wholly  by  sentiment,  and  she  could 
trust  Alec  to  see  the  folly  of  rushing  into  a  union 
that  might  imperil  his  career.  In  the  depths  of  her 
heart  she  confessed  herself  proud  and  happy  at  the 
prospect  of  becoming  his  wife;  but  she  would  never 
consent  to  a  marriage  that  was  not  commended  by 
prudence.  Better,  far  better,  they  should  part  for- 
ever than  that  the  lapse  of  a  few  months  should  prove 
how  irretrievably  she  had  ruined  him. 

This  might  be  sound  commonsense,  but  it  was  not 
love,  yet  all  this,  and  more,  Joan  said  to  Felix  Poluski, 
and  the  little  man  had  nodded  his  head  with  grins 
of  approval.  Meanwhile,  he  sang  and  was  busy. 

Count  Julius,  posted  now  in  the  Pole's  mottled  his- 
tory, had  demanded  absolute  anonymity  before  he 
carried  the  negotiations  for  the  picture  any  further. 
Felix  gave  the  pledge  readily,  since  Joan  could  not 
be  in  Delgratz  a  day  ere  she  suspected  the  truth. 
At  any  rate,  Marulitch  was  satisfied;  he  introduced 
Felix  to  a  well-known  dealer  in  the  Rue  St.  Honore, 
and  thenceforth  disappeared  from  the  transaction. 
Joan  herself  entered  into  the  necessary  business 
arrangements,  about  which  there  was  nothing  hidden 
or  contraband.  The  terms  proposed  were  liberal, 
considering  her  poor  status  in  the  art  world;  but 
they  were  quite  straightforward.  She  was  given 
return  tickets  to  Delgratz  for  herself  and  her  maid; 
Felix  was  similarly  provided  for ;  five  hundred  dollars 
was  paid  in  advance,  and  a  written  guaranty  was 

113 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

handed  to  her  that  a  similar  sum,  together  with  hotel 
expenses,  would  be  forthcoming  in  exchange  for  a 
copy  of  the  Byzantine  Saint  Peter. 

Of  course,  reviewing  matters  calmly  in  the  train, 
she  hardly  expected  that  the  second  portion  of  the 
contract  would  be  fulfilled.  She  knew  quite  well  that 
the  conspirators  hoped  to  turn  her  presence  in  the 
Kosnovian  capital  to  their  own  account,  and  when 
their  scheme  was  balked  they  would  devise  some  means 
of  wriggling  out  of  the  bargain.  But  she  laughed 
at  the  notion  that  she,  an  unknown  student,  should 
have  suddenly  become  a  pawn  in  the  game  of  empire. 
There  was  an  element  of  daring,  almost  of  peril,  in 
the  adventure  that  fascinated  her.  It  savored  of 
those  outlandish  incidents  recorded  in  novels  of  a 
sensational  type,  wherein  fur  coated,  sallow  faced, 
cigarette  smoking  scoundrels  plotted  the  destruction 
of  dynasties,  and  used  fair  maidens  as  decoys  for 
susceptible  Kings.  Certainly,  Felix  Poluski,  judged 
by  his  past,  was  no  bad  prototype  of  a  character  in 
that  class  of  fiction;  regarded  in  his  present  guise, 
as  he  sat  opposite  her  in  the  dining  car  of  the  Orient 
Express,  he  looked  the  most  harmless  desperado  that 
ever  preyed  on  a  quivering  world. 

His  face  seemed  to  be  smaller  and  more  wrinkled 
than  usual.  From  Joan's  superior  height  his  hump 
was  accentuated  till  it  showed  above  the  top  of  his 
head,  and  the  girl  was  conscious,  though  she  reso- 
lutely closed  her  eyes  to  the  fact,  that  the  admiring 
glances  with  which  she  was  favored  by  some  of  her 


Joan  Goes  into  Society 

fellow  passengers  were  somewhat  modified  by  the 
humorous  incongruity  of  Poluski's  appearance. 

At  first,  they  tacitly  avoided  any  reference  to  Alec 
or  Delgratz.  Their  talk  dealt  with  art  and  artists, 
and  Joan  had  a  good  deal  to  say  about  the  delights 
of  painting  in  the  open  air. 

Felix  blinked  at  her  sagely.  "  Behold,  then,  the 
beginning  of  the  end ! "  he  cackled. 

"The  end  of  what?  "  she  asked,  with  some  kindling 
of  suspicion,  since  her  queer  little  friend's  tricks  of 
conversation  were  not  new  to  her. 

"  Of  your  career  as  an  artist.  Barbizon  is  fatal 
to  true  emotion.  It  induces  a  fine  sense  of  the  beauty 
of  sunsets,  of  diffused  light  in  sylvan  solitudes,  of 
blues  that  are  greens  and  browns  that  are  reds.  In 
a  word,  the  study  of  nature  inclines  one  toward 
truth,  whereas  art  is  essentially  a  gracious  lie.  That 
is  why  the  Greeks  were  the  greatest  artists:  because 
they  were  most  pleasing  liars.  They  understood  the 
crassness  of  humanity.  Long  before  Browning  wrote 
Fra  Lippo  Lippi  they  realized  that 

"We're  made  so  that  we  love 

First    when    we    see    them    painted,    things    we    have    passed 
Perhaps  a  hundred  times,  nor  cared  to  see; 
And  so  they  are  better  painted — better  to  us, 
Which   is   the   same   thing." 

Joan  laughed,  and  the  cheery  sound  of  her  mirth 
seemed  to  startle  the  staid  folk  in  the  car. 

At  a  neighboring  table  a  middle  aged  couple  were 
115 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

dining,  the  woman  dignified  and  matronly,  the  man 
small,  slight,  with  a  curiously  bloated  aspect  which, 
on  analysis,  seemed  to  arise  from  puffy  cheeks  and 
thick,  sensual  lips.  He  said  something  that  caused 
his  companion  to  turn  and  look  at  Joan ;  for  the 
woman  is  yet  unborn  who  will  hear  another  woman 
described  as  pretty  and  not  want  to  decide  for  herself 
how  far  the  statement  is  justified. 

So  the  eyes  of  the  two  met,  and  Joan  saw  a  worn, 
kindly  face,  endowed  with  a  quiet  charm  of  expression 
and  delicacy  of  contour  that  offered  a  marked  con- 
trast to  the  man's  unprepossessing  features.  Both 
women  were  too  well  bred  to  stare,  and  Joan  in- 
stantly brought  her  wits  to  bear  on  Poluski's  quip; 
but  that  fleeting  glimpse  had  thrilled  her  with  subtle 
recognition  of  something  grasped  yet  elusive,  of  a 
knowledge  that  trembled  on  the  lip  of  discovery, 
like  a  half  remembered  word  murmuring  in  the  brain 
but  unable  to  make  itself  heard. 

"  Do  you  ever  say  what  you  really  mean,  Felix?  " 
she  asked. 

"  Far  too  often,  my  belle.  That  is  why  I  am  only 
a  copyist. 

"  I  am  a  painter  who  cannot  paint; 
In  my  life,  a  devil  rather  than  saint. 

Believe  me,  we  artists  err  ridiculously  when  we  de- 
part from  the  Greek  standard.  Your  Whistler  never 
achieved  fame  until  he  stopped  reproducing  bits  of 
nature  and  devoted  his  superb  talent  to  caricature." 

116 


Joan  Goes  into  Society 

"  Caricature !     Whistler !  "  she  repeated. 

"Name  of  a  good  little  gray  man!  what  else? 
Not  portraits,  surely?  Wise  that  he  was,  he  left 
those  to  the  snapshot  photographer;  for  even  the 
camera  can  be  given  the  artistic  kink  by  the  toucher- 
up.  Have  you  forgotten,  then,  the  rage  of  a  stolid 
Englishman  when  he  saw  his  wife  as  Whistler  painted 
her?  Oh,  yes,  art  lies  outrageously  and  lives  long, 
like  other  fables." 

"  But  Whistler  might  have  been  bluntly  accurate, 
a  thing  that  is  not  always  pleasing.  For  instance," 
and  here  her  voice  sank  a  little,  "  it  might  not  be 
altogether  gratifying  to  my  pride  if  some  one  was 
to  analyze  mercilessly  the  precise  reasons  of  my 
present  journey." 

"  Tiens!  Let  us  do  it.  It  will  serve  to  pass  the 
time." 

She  laughed  and  blushed.  "  Wait  a  little.  We 
have  many  hours  before  us." 

"  You  will  never  have  a  more  appreciative  audi- 
ence, if  only  you  could  make  your  voice  heard  above 
this  din." 

"  What  are  you  driving  at?     Please  tell  me." 

"  You  have  seen  the  two  people  sitting  over  there  ?  " 
and  he  twisted  eyebrows  and  mouth  awry,  with  a 
whimsical  leer  of  caution. 

"Yes;  what  of  them?" 

"  Do  you  know  them?  " 

"  No." 

"Not  even  the  lady?" 

117 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

"  She  reminds  me  of  some  one — why  do  you 
ask?  " 

"  I  am  surprised  at  you,  Joan.  Those  charming 
eyes  of  yours  should  be  keener.  True,  there  is  noth- 
ing feminine  about  Alec,  and  he  has  not  suffered, 
like  his  mother.  Still,  there  is  a  resemblance." 

"  Felix,  are  you  in  earnest  ?  " 

"  Absolutely.  I,  at  least,  have  not  the  Greek 
temperament.  Our  friends  across  the  gangway  are 
none  other  than  Prince  and  Princess  Michael  Del- 
grado.  You  will  discover  no  prophecy  of  Alec  in 
his  father;  but  he  is  his  mother's  own  son,  despite 
her  weak  chin  and  air  of  resignation." 

Joan  was  dismayed,  utterly  astonished ;  the  color 
ebbed  from  her  cheeks.  "  Are  they  going  to  Del- 
gratz  ?  "  she  almost  whispered. 

"  I  suppose  so.  It  is  one  of  the  oddest  things 
about  our  lives  how  they  run  in  grooves.  Just  now 
all  the  tiny  furrows  of  our  separate  existences  are 
converging  on  the  Danube.  We  are  like  ships  fore- 
doomed to  collision,  that  hurry  remorselessly  from 
the  ends  of  the  earth  to  the  preordained  crash." 

"  Oh,  Felix,  if  you  knew  of  this  why  did  you  bring 
me  here?  " 

"  Who  am  I  to  resist  when  the  gods  beckon  ?  I 
love  you,  Joan,  and  I  hate  Kings ;  but  it  is  decreed 
that  you  shall  be  a  Queen,  so  I  fold  my  arms  and 
bow  my  head  like  the  meekest  of  mortals." 

"  I  shall  quit  the  train  at  the  next  stopping  place." 

"  But  why?  If  Alec  and  you  are  to  wed,  it  is 
118 


'Joan  Goes  into  Society 

only  fit  and  proper  that  his  parents  should  grace 
the  ceremony.'* 

"  You  harp  on  marriage  when  there  may  be  no 
marriage.  If  Alec  was  not  a  King,  it  might  be 
different ;  but  the  world  will  scoff  when  it  hears  that 
his  chosen  bride  came  to  him  from  lodgings  in  the 
Place  de  la  Sorbonne.  What  will  Princess  Belgrade 
think,  now  that  she  has  seen  me  here,  rushing  off 
to  Delgratz  the  instant  I  was  summoned?  Felix, 
I  must  return  to  Paris.  Happily,  I  have  some  two 
thousand  francs  due  within  a  week,  and  I  can  then 
refund  the  cost  of  our  tickets,  and  perhaps  the  rail- 
way people  will  allow  something  for  the  incompleted 
journey." 

"  Calm  yourself,  ma  petite!  You  count  like  the 
proprietress  of  my  favorite  cafe !  And  to  what  pur- 
pose? It  would  be  a  pity  to  act  in  that  foolish 
way.  There  is  no  compulsion  on  you  to  marry  Alec, 
and  the  Byzantine  Saint  Peter  still  hangs  in  the 
cathedral.  Let  any  one  so  much  as  hint  that  you  are 
throwing  yourself  at  Alec's  head,  and  I  shall  have 
the  hinter  dynamited.  No,  no,  my  Joan,  we  may 
yield  to  higher  powers;  but  we  do  not  abandon  our 
pilgrimage  because  it  is  shared  by  an  old  scamp  of 
a  father  whose  sole  anxiety  is  to  fleece  his  son.  Come, 
now,  finish  your  dinner  in  peace,  and  let  me  explain 
to  you  why  it  is  that  Alexis  III.  and  not  Michael  V. 
reigns  in  Delgratz.  You  don't  glean  many  facts 
about  monarchs  from  newspapers.  If  I  brought  you 
to  a  certain  wineshop  in  the  Rue  Taitbout  any  even- 

119 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

ing  after  dinner  you  would  hear  more  truth  about 
royalty  in  half  an  hour  than  you  will  read  in  half 
a  year." 

Joan,  conscious  of  a  telltale  pallor,  was  leaning 
forward  with  an  elbow  on  the  table  and  shielding  her 
face  with  widespread  fingers  propped  against  cheek 
and  forehead.  In  the  noise  and  flurry  of  the  train 
it  was  easy  to  tune  the  voice  to  such  a  note  that 
it  must  be  inaudible  to  those  at  the  adjacent  tables; 
but  Poluski  seemed  to  be  careless  whether  or  not  he 
was  overheard,  and  the  girl  fancied  that  Prin- 
cess Delgrado  had  caught  the  words  "  Alexis," 
"  Michael,"  "  Delgratz."  Certainly  the  Princess 
turned  again  and  looked  at  her,  while  she  did  not 
fail  to  glance  swiftly  at  the  misshapen  figure  visible 
only  in  profile. 

"  Not  so  loud,  Felix,"  murmured  Joan.  "  Come 
to  my  compartment  when  you  have  smoked  a  cig- 
arette. By  that  time  I  shall  have  recovered  my 
wits,  and  I  may  be  able  to  decide  what  to  do  for  the 
best." 

"  Wrong  again !  "  he  laughed.  "  Obey  your  heart, 
not  your  brain,  mignonne."  (  He  bent  nearer,  and  his 
extraordinarily  bright  gray  eyes  peered  up  into 
hers.)  "  That  is  how  Alec  won  his  throne.  He  is  all 
heart.  Those  who  paved  the  way  for  him  were  all 
brain.  They  plotted,  and  contrived,  and  spun  their 
web  with  the  murderous  zeal  of  a  spider;  but,  poof! 
in  buzzes  bluebottle  Alec,  and  where  are  the  schemers  ? 
Ah,  my  angel,  if  you  knew  everything  you  would  be 

120 


Joan  Goes  into  Society 

cheery  as  I  and  marry  your  King  with  a  light  con- 
science." 

The  two  persons  who  were  the  unwitting  cause  of 
Joan's  sudden  misgivings  rose  and  quitted  the  dining 
car.  No  one  seemed  to  be  aware  of  their  identity. 
Even  the  brown-liveried  attendants  did  not  give  them 
any  more  attention  than  was  bestowed  on  the  other 
passengers,  and  the  girl  realized  that  the  parents 
of  a  King,  even  such  a  newly  fledged  King  as  Alec, 
did  not  usually  travel  with  this  pronounced  lack  of 
state. 

"  Are  you  quite  sure  they  are  the  Prince  and 
Princess  ?  "  she  asked,  scanning  Poluski's  wrinkled 
face  to  learn  if  he  had  not  been  playing  some  sorry 
jest. 

"  Quite  sure,"  said  he. 

"  But " 

"  You  wonder  why  they  condescend  to  mix  with 
the  common  horde?  Learn  then,  my  Joan,  that  a 
French  booking  clerk  is  a  skeptic  who  can  be  con- 
vinced only  by  the  sight  of  money.  Consider  the 
number  of  brokendown  royalties  in  Paris,  and  picture, 
if  you  can,  the  scowl  of  disbelief  that  would  cloud 
the  official  features  of  the  Gare  de  1'Est  if  Prince 
Michael  asked  for  a  special  train  to  Delgratz ;  booked 
it  on  the  nod,  so  to  speak.  It  could  not  be 
done,  Joan,  not  if  one  substituted  '  Archangel '  for 
'  Prince.'  As  it  is,  the  senior  Delgrado  has  probably 
touched  a  friend  for  the  money  to  buy  the  tickets." 

"  Yet  their  names  would  be  recognized." 
121 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

Felix  called  an  attendant.  "  The  lady  and  gentle- 
man who  sat  at  the  opposite  table  were  the  Count 
and  Countess  Polina  ?  " 

"I  cannot  say,  monsieur.      Shall  I  inquire?" 

"  No  need,  thank  you.  To  be  precise,  since  you 
demand  it,"  went  on  Poluski  when  the  man  had  gone, 
"  I  asked  who  they  were  the  moment  we  left  Paris. 
I  saw  them  on  the  platform,  and  the  absence  of  any 
display  showed  that  they  were  traveling  incognito. 
I  doubt  very  much  if  Alec  knows  of  their  journey. 
Can  you  guess  why  I  think  that?  " 

Joan  shook  her  head  wearily.  "  I  am  living  in  a 
land  of  dreams,"  she  sighed.  "  I  do  not  understand 
the  why  or  wherefore  of  anything?  " 

"  Listen,  then,  and  you  will  see  that  your  dreamland 
is  a  prosaic  place,  after  all.  There  is  a  man  in 
Paris  who  receives  letters  daily  from  Kosnovia,  and 
they  tell  of  events  that  are  not  printed  for  the  multi- 
tude. Last  night,  when  I  was  certain  we  should  go 
to  Delgratz,  I  sought  him  and  heard  the  latest  news. 
Your  Alec  means  to  economize.  He  has  promulgated 
the  absurd  theory  that  the  people's  taxes  should  be 
spent  for  the  people's  benefit,  and  he  says  that  no 
King  is  worth  more  than  five  thousand  pounds  a 
year,  while  many  of  his  contemporaries  would  be  dear 
at  the  price.  He  has  also  set  up  this  ridiculous 
maximum  as  a  standard,  and  intends  to  reduce  the 
official  salary  list  to  about  half  its  present  dimensions. 

"  This  fantasy  has  reached  his  father's  ears,  and 
the  old  gentleman  is  hurrying  to  Delgratz  to  check 

122 


Joan  Goes  into  Society 

the  madness  ere  it  is  too  late.  It  is  a  simple  bit  of 
arithmetic:  if  a  King,  who  works  like  a  horse,  is 
to  receive  only  five  thousand  a  year,  what  is  the 
annual  value  of  his  father,  who  does  nothing  but 
lounge  about  the  boulevards?  No  wonder  old 
Michael  is  off  hotfoot  to  the  White  City ! " 

Despite  her  perplexities,  Joan  had  to  laugh,  and 
Felix  bent  nearer  to  clinch  his  argument. 

"  You  and  I  must  stand  by  Alec,  my  dear.  I  too 
am  breathing  a  new  atmosphere.  I  fought  against 
Kings  because  they  were  tyrants ;  but  I  am  ready 
to  fight  for  one  who  is  a  deliverer.  What  do  you 
fear,  you?  The  world?  Has  the  world  ever  done 
anything  for  you  that  its  opinion  should  be  con- 
sidered? It  will  fawn  or  snarl  as  it  thinks  best 
fitted  to  its  own  ends;  but  help  or  pity?  Never! 
Its  votaries  in  Delgratz  will  strive  to  rend  Alec  when 
they  realize  that  their  interests  are  threatened.  We 
must  be  there,  you  and  I,  you  to  aid  him  in  winning 
the  fickle  mob,  and  I  to  watch  those  secret  burrow- 
ings  more  dangerous  to  thrones  than  open  revolt.  It 
is  a  sacred  mission,  my  Joan !  They  who  named  you 
were  wiser  than  they  knew.  You  were  christened  a 
King's  helpmate,  while  I,  Felix  Poluski,  am  fated  to 
be  the  most  amazing  product  of  modern  civilization, 
— an  anarchist  devoted  to  a  monarchy. 

"  It  came  on  me  yesterday  morning  in  the  Louvre. 
I  saw  my  principles  crucified  for  the  good  of  human- 
ity. Through  the  eyes  of  the  Virgin  I  looked  into 
a  heaven  of  achievement,  and  I  care  not  what  the 

123 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

means  so  long  as  good  results.  One  honest  King 
is  worth  a  million  revolutionaries,  and  God,  who  made 
Alec  a  King,  also  made  him  honest." 

Excited,  exuberant,  bubbling  over  with  that  very 
emotionalism  at  which  he  had  scoffed  a  few  minutes 
earlier,  Felix  leaned  back  in  his  chair  and  sang  a 
quatrain  in  his  singularly  sweet  and  penetrating 
tenor. 

Instantly  every  head  was  turned  and  necks  were 
craned.  A  waiter,  serving  coffee,  was  so  electrified 
that  he  poured  no  small  quantity  into  the  lap  of  an 
indignant  German.  Joan,  too  wrathful  for  mere 
words,  dared  not  rush  away  instantly  to  her  com- 
partment, though  she  would  have  given  a  good  deal 
at  that  moment  to  be  safe  in  its  kindly  obscurity. 
And  the  worst  thing  was  that  she  saw  the  coffeepot 
incident,  and  was  forced  to  laugh  till  the  tears  came. 

Cries  of  "  Bravo !  "  "  Again  !  "  mingled  with  the 
iron-clamped  syllables  of  Teutonic  protest,  and  she 
distinctly  heard  a  well  bred  English  voice  say: 

"  Foreign  music  hall  artists !  I  told  you  so, 
though  the  girl  looks  an  American.  But,  by  gad! 
can't  that  humpbacked  johnny  sing !  " 

"  Felix,  how  could  you?  "  she  managed  to  gasp 
at  last. 

"  I'm  sorry.  I  forgot  we  were  not  in  Paris.  But 
there  are  some  here  who  appreciate  good  music.  If 
you  don't  mind,  I'll  give  them  Beranger*s  '  Adieu  to 
Mary  Stuart.'  You  remember,  it  goes  this  way — " 

Joan   fled,  making  play  with  her  handkerchief. 


Joan  Goes  into  Society 

The  fast  speeding  train  threw  her  from  side  to  side 
of  the  corridor  during  a  hurried  transit;  but  the 
exquisite  lines  followed  her  clearly. 

Felix  sang  like  a  robin  till  the  mood  exhausted 
itself.  Then,  deaf  to  enthusiastic  plaudits  and  cries 
for  "  More ! "  he  lit  a  long  thin  cigar  and  smoked 
furiously.  Passing  Joan's  berth  later,  he  knocked. 

"Who  is  it?  "she  asked. 

"  I,  the  Humming  Bee." 

"  Leave  me  to-night,  Felix.     I  must  think." 

"  Better  sleep.  Thinking  creates  wrinkles.  Look 
on  me  as  a  horrible  example." 

He  went  away,  bassooning  some  lively  melody,  but 
grinning  the  while,  and  if  his  thoughts  took  shape 
they  would  run : 

"  The  struggle  has  ended  ere  it  began,  sweet  maid. 
You  are  in  love ;  but  have  not  yet  waked  up  to  that 
astonishing  fact.  Now,  why  did  the  good  God  give 
me  a  big  heart  and  a  small  head  and  a  twisted  spine  ? 
Why  not  have  made  me  either  a  man  or  an  imp?  " 

Joan  could  not  face  strangers  in  the  dining  car 
after  Poluski's  strange  outburst.  She  remained  in 
her  own  cramped  quarters  all  next  day,  ate  some 
meals  there  as  best  she  could,  and  kept  Felix  at  arm's 
length  so  far  as  confidence  or  counsel  was  concerned. 
On  the  platform  at  Vienna,  where  the  train  was  made 
up  afresh,  she  encountered  Princess  Delgrado.  To 
her  consternation,  the  older  woman  stopped  and 
spoke. 

"  I  am  sorry  I  missed  the  delightful  little  concert 
125 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

your  friend  provided  in  the  dining  car  last  night," 
she  said  in  French,  and  her  voice  had  that  touch  of 
condescension  with  which  a  society  leader  knows  how 
to  dilute  her  friendliness  when  addressing  a  singer 
or  musician.  "  My  husband  and  I  retired  early,  to 
our  great  loss,  I  hear.  Are  you  traveling  beyond 
Vienna?  If  so,  and  you  give  us  another  musical 
this  evening " 

"  There  is  some  mistake,"  faltered  Joan,  uncon- 
sciously answering  in  English.  "  People  who  do  not 
know  Monsieur  Poluski  often  take  him  for  an  operatic 
artiste.  He  is  a  painter.  He  sings  only  to  amuse 
himself,  and  seldom  waits  to  consider  whether  the 
time  and  place  are  well  chosen." 

"  But,  gracious  me ! "  cried  the  Princess,  amazed 
to  find  that  Joan  spoke  English  as  to  the  manner 
born.  "  Some  one  said  you  were  Polish.  I  doubted 
my  eyes  when  I  looked  at  you ;  but  your  companion — • 
well,  he  might  be  anything." 

"  Both  he  and  I  earn  our  bread  by  painting  pic- 
tures," said  Joan.  "  Indeed,  we  are  now  bound  for 
Delgratz  to  carry  out  a  commission." 

"  Delgratz !  How  extraordinary !  I  too  am  going 
there.  It  is  so  disturbed  at  present  that  it  is  the 
last  place  in  the  world  I  should  have  suspected  of 
artistic  longings.  May  I  ask  who  has  sent  for  you?  " 

Luckily,  in  the  bustle  and  semiobscurity  of  the 
station,  Princess  Delgrado  did  not  pay  much  heed 
to  the  furious  blushing  of  the  pretty  girl  who  had 
aroused  her  interest.  It  was  impossible  to  regard 

126 


'Joan  Goes  into  Society 

one  whom  she  now  believed  to  be  an  American  like 
herself  as  being  in  any  way  concerned  with  the  in- 
trigues that  centered  in  the  capital  of  Kosnovia,  and 
she  attributed  Joan's  confusion  to  the  pardonable 
error  that  arose  from  the  talk  Prince  Michael  brought 
from  the  smoking  car. 

But  what  was  Joan  to  answer?  She  could  not 
blurt  out  to  Alec's  mother  the  contents  of  that  ex- 
ceedingly plainspoken  epistle  now  reposing  in  her 
pocket.  For  one  mad  instant  she  wondered  what 
would  happen  if  she  said : 

"  I  am  being  sent  to  Delgratz  by  people  who  wish 
to  drive  Alec  out  of  the  kingdom,  and  I  am  really 
considering  whether  or  not  I  ought  to  marry  him." 

Then  she  lifted  her  head  valiantly,  with  just  that 
wood-nymph  flinging  back  of  rebellious  hair  that 
Alec  was  thinking  of  while  riding  to  his  Castle  of 
Care  after  a  long  day  in  the  saddle. 

"  There  is  nothing  unusual  in  my  being  chosen 
to  copy  a  picture,"  she  said.  "  Art  connoisseurs 
care  little  for  politics.  To  them  a  new  Giotto  is 
vastly  more  important  than  a  new  King,  and  I  am 
told  that  both  are  to  be  found  in  Delgratz  nowadays." 

Prince  Michael  strolled  up.  He  was  pleased  that 
his  wife  had  made  the  acquaintance  of  the  charming 
unknown,  whom  he  had  looked  for  in  vain  during  the 
day. 

"  Ah,"  he  said,  with  polite  hat  flourish,  "  I  feared 
we  had  lost  the  pleasant  company  of  which  I 

heard " 

127 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

"  You  were  misinformed,"  broke  in  his  wife  hastily 
in  English.  "  This  young  lady  is  visiting  Delgratz 
for  art  purposes.  The  gentleman  who  sang  last 
night  is  the  celebrated  painter,  Monsieur — Mon- 
sieur  " 

"Felix  Poluski,"  said  Joan. 

Prince  Michael  started  as  though  a  scorpion  had 
found  a  crack  in  his  patent  boots. 

"  Poluski — Felix  Poluski !  "  he  cried.  "  I  know 
that  name;  but  he  was  fond  of  using  strange  colors 
on  his  palette  if  I  remember  rightly." 

Felix,  owing  to  his  small  stature,  was  compelled 
to  dodge  among  the  crowd  on  the  platform  like  a 
child.  He  appeared  now  unexpectedly,  and  Michael's 
exclamation  was  not  lost  on  him. 

"  Excellent,  Monseigneur !  "  he  said.  "  You  al- 
ways had  a  turn  for  epigram.  I  am  glad  to  find 
that  you  have  not  forgotten  the  brave  days  of  old 
when  you  and  I  used  to  spout  treason  together,  you 
because  you  hungered  after  a  dynasty,  and  I  because 
I  preferred  dynamite.  Odd  thing,  both  words  mean 
power,  strength,  sovereignty;  the  difference  lies  only 
in  the  method  of  application.  But  that  was  in  our 
hot  youth,  Michael " 

"  Imbecile !  "  hissed  the  Prince,  his  red  face  blanch- 
ing, as  once  before  when  a  man  spoke  of  the  perils 
that  hedge  a  throne  in  the  Balkans.  "  This  is 
Vienna.  I  shall  be  recognized !  " 

Felix  snapped  his  fingers.  "  They  don't  care  that 
for  you,  Monseigneur — never  did!  You  could  have 

128 


Joan  Goes  into  Society 

come  and  gone  as  you  pleased  any  time  during  these 
thirty  years.  If  any  one  is  feared  here,  it  is  I. 
But,  my  veteran,  why  this  display  of  wrath?  You 
know  me  well  enough.  Didn't  you  see  me  last 
night?" 

"  No — that  is,  I  did  not  recollect.  Your  face  was 
hidden." 

"  Ah,  you  had  something  better  to  look  at.  Well, 
who  goes  to  Delgratz  ?  Get  aboard,  all !  " 

During  this  brief  but  illuminating  conversation  the 
Princess  and  Joan  could  do  nothing  else  but  gaze 
from  one  man  to  the  other  in  mute  surprise,  and 
Joan  was  grieved  beyond  measure  that  Felix  should 
treat  Alec's  father  with  such  scant  courtesy.  Even 
while  they  were  making  for  the  steps  of  the  sleeping 
cars,  she  managed  to  whisper  tremulously  to  the 
Princess : 

"  Please  don't  be  angry  with  Monsieur  Poluski. 
His  brusk  manner  often  gets  him  into  trouble.  For- 
give me  for  saying  it,  but  your  son  knows  him  well, 
and  is  very  fond  of  him,  and  I  am  sure  Felix  would 
do  anything  that  lay  in  his  power  to  help — to  help 
King  Alexis  III. 

"  My  son !     Do  you  also  know  him?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Have  you  met  him  in  Paris  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  But  I  have  never  seen  you  at  the  Rue  Boissiere." 

"  No.  We  met  at  Rudin's,  and  sometimes  in  the 
Louvre." 

129 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

"  And  does  he  know  that  you  are  coming  to  Del- 
gratz?" 

"  No.     I  assure  you " 

The  Princess  hesitated.  It  was  not  in  her  kind 
heart  to  think  evil  of  this  singularly  frank  looking 
and  attractive  girl.  "  Will  you  tell  me  your  name?  " 
she  said,  turning  with  one  foot  on  the  step ;  for  they 
were  about  to  enter  separate  carriages. 

"  Joan  Vernon." 

"  I  suppose  it  is  idle  to  ask,  but  you  are  not 
married?  " 

"  No,  nor  likely  to  be  for  a  very  long  time." 

"  Aboard !  "  cried  a  guard,  marveling  that  women 
could  find  so  much  to  say  at  the  very  last  moment. 

"  Well,"  said  the  Princess,  "  I  hope  to  see  you  at 
dinner.  If  not,  in  Delgratz." 

Joan  took  good  care  that  no  one  except  her  maid 
and  an  attendant  saw  her  again  that  evening.  She 
felt  bruised  and  buffeted  as  though  she  had  been 
carried  among  rocks  by  some  irresistible  current. 
Even  her  mind  refused  to  act.  The  why  and  the 
wherefore  of  events  were  dim  and  not  to  be  grasped. 
Over  and  over  again  she  regretted  the  impulse  that 
led  her  to  take  this  journey.  Felix,  as  friend  and 
artistic  tutor,  *Tas  invaluable;  but  in  the  guise  of 
mentor  for  a  young  woman  who  had  her  own  way 
to  make  in  the  world,  and  nothing  more  to  depend 
on  than  her  artistic  faculties  and  a  small  income 
from  a  trust  fund,  he  was  a  distinct  failure.  What 
would  Alec  think  of  it  all?  And  what  would  Alec's 

130 


Joan  Goes  into  Society 

mother  say  when  her  son  told  her  that  Joan  Vernon 
was  the  woman  he  meant  to  marry? 

So  Joan  grew  miserable,  and  developed  a  headache, 
and  wept  a  little  over  perplexities  that  were  very 
real  though  she  could  not  define  them.  And  Felix 
dined  alone,  and  smoked  in  dumb  reverie,  and  when 
Prince  Michael,  warmed  with  wine  and  cheered  by  the 
knowledge  that  a  wearisome  journey  was  drawing  to 
a  close,  unbent  so  far  as  to  ask  him  to  sing,  the 
little  man  shook  his  head. 

"  You'll  hear  me  singing  in  Delgratz,  Mon- 
seigneur,"  he  said.  "  I  shall  have  something  to  think 
about  then,  and  I  sing  to  think,  just  as  you  live  to 
eat.  At  present,  there  isn't  a  note  in  the  box.  Now, 
if  madame  can  spare  you,  just  sit  down  there,  and 
you  and  I  will  talk  of  old  times.  For  instance,  poor 
Amelie  Constant — she  died  the  other  day " 

"  Ah,  bah !  "  growled  Michael.  "  That  is  not  in- 
teresting. Old  times  of  that  sort  generally  mean 
times  one  would  rather  forget.  Au  'voir,  M'sieur 
Poluski.  We  shall  meet  across  the  Danube.  If  your 
principles  permit,  come  and  see  me  at  court." 

"  My  principles  carry  me  into  strange  company, 
Monseigneur,"  said  Felix  gravely. 


131 


CHAPTER  VII 

JOAN    BECOMES    THE    VICTIM    OF    CIRCUMSTANCES 

ON  arriving  at  Delgratz,  Joan  still  avoided  her 
distinguished  traveling  companions.  Indeed,  no  one 
paid  any  heed  to  her,  since  Prince  Michael's  vanity 
could  not  resist  the  temptation  of  making  himself 
known,  and  when  the  word  went  round  that  the  King's 
father  was  in  the  station,  there  was  such  a  press 
around  him  and  the  Princess  that  ordinary  passen- 
gers were  of  little  account. 

Monseigneur  was  flattered  by  the  excitement  caused 
by  his  unexpected  appearance,  and  he  momentarily 
regretted  the  lack  of  display  that  resulted  from  his 
decision  to  travel  incognito.  It  would  have  been  so 
much  more  effective  if  he  had  been  greeted  by  the 
King  and  a  glittering  staff  the  moment  he  descended 
from  the  train.  It  was  undignified,  too,  to  pass 
through  the  streets  of  the  capital  in  a  disheveled 
hired  vehicle,  when  a  royal  carriage,  surrounded  by 
a  cavalry  escort,  might  have  brought  him  to  the 
palace  in  style.  It  was  somewhat  late  in  the  day, 
however,  to  rectify  the  mistake  now.  He  could  not 
hang  round  the  station  while  a  messenger  went  to  his 

132 


The  Victim  of  Circumstances 

son,  and  if  he  meant  to  effect  a  surprise  he  had  suc- 
ceeded admirably. 

Leaving  a  valet  and  maid  to  bring  the  luggage, 
which  an  obsequious  customs  officer  cleared  at  once, 
he  ushered  his  wife  into  a  ramshackle  victoria  and 
told  the  man  to  drive  to  the  Schwarzburg. 

Every  Serb  is  a  born  gossip;  but  a  policeman  had 
whispered  the  names  of  the  eminent  pair,  and  awe 
kept  the  driver's  tongue  from  wagging,  else  Prince 
Michael  would  have  received  a  greater  shock  than 
the  welcoming  bump  of  a  singularly  bad  pavement. 
Luckily  the  Black  Castle  lay  no  great  distance  from 
the  railway,  since  Delgratz  was  but  a  small  place 
when  the  palace  was  built,  and  the  town  had  long  ago 
closed  around  it  on  every  hand. 

During  the  short  drive  Michael  tried  to  be  cheery, 
though  he  had  slept  little  during  two  nights.  "  These 
old  streets  have  really  changed  very  little,"  he  said. 
"  When  I  was  a  boy  I  remember  thinking  how  mag- 
nificent they  were.  What  an  eye  opener  it  must  have 
been  for  Alec  when  he  realized  that  he  had  given  up 
Paris — for  this !  "  and  he  waved  a  deprecating  hand 
toward  the  unkempt  houses,  yellow  washed  and  dingy ; 
for  the  White  City,  though  white  when  seen  from  a 
distance,  turns  out  to  be  an  unhealthy  looking  saffron 
at  close  quarters.  The  Princess  cared  nothing  for 
the  squalor  of  the  town.  She  was  thinking  of  her 
son. 

"  I  wish  we  had  told  Alec  we  were  coming, 
Michael,"  she  said.  "  Now  that  we  are  here,  the 

133 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

reasons  you  urged  for  secrecy  seem  to  be  less  con- 
vincing than  ever." 

"  Alec  would  have  telegraphed  his  prompt  advice 
to  remain  where  we  were." 

"  Perhaps " 

"  Perhaps  you  will  allow  me  to  decide  what  is  best 
to  be  done,  Marie.  Our  affairs  had  reached  a  crisis. 
So  long  as  there  was  a  chance  of  my  becoming  King 
I  was  able  to  finance  myself.  Now  that  Alec  is  firmly 
established,  and  filling  empty  heads  with  all  this  non- 
sense as  to  retrenchment  and  economical  administra- 
tion, every  creditor  I  had  in  the  world  is  pestering 
me.  You  cannot  realize  the  annoyance  to  which  I 
have  been  subjected  during  the  last  fortnight.  Life 
was  becoming  intolerable,  just  because  Alec  was  talk- 
ing galimatias  to  a  number  of  irresponsible  journal- 
ists." 

"  Why  not  write  and  tell  him  our  troubles  ?  He 
would  have  helped  us,  I  am  sure.  And  that  which 
you  call  rubbish  seems  to  have  caught  the  ear  of 
all  Europe.  Even  '  The  Journal  des  Debats  '  pub- 
lished a  most  eulogistic  article  about  him  last 
week." 

"Poof!"  snorted  Monseigneur.  "Those  Paris 
rags  pander  to  republicanism.  Every  word,  every 
act,  of  an  impetuous  youngster  like  Alec  is  twisted 
into  an  argument  against  the  older  monarchies. 
Give  an  eye  to  the  mean  looking  building  on  the 
right.  That  is  the  Chamber  of  Deputies.  Alec 
made  the  speech  there  that  won  him  a  throne.  Who 


The  Victim  of  Circumstances 

would  have  believed  it?  Just  a  few  words,  and  he 
became  King ! " 

Something  in  Prince  Michael's  tone  caused  his  wife 
to  look  at  him  sharply.  "  You  are  not  growing  en- 
vious, Michael?  "  she  asked. 

"No;  but  I  was  a  fool." 

"Because  I  shall  keep  you  to  our  compact,-  she 
said,  with  a  firmness  of  manner  that  surprised  the 
pompous  little  man  by  her  side.  He  had  been  an- 
swered in  that  way  so  seldom  during  their  married 
life  that  the  novelty  was  displeasing. 

"  Ah,  bah!  what  are  you  saying?  "  he  cried.  He 
stifled  the  next  words  on  his  lips ;  for  the  horse  passed 
under  an  arch,  and  not  even  the  studied  repose  of 
a  princely  boulevardier  could  conceal  his  new  amaze- 
ment. 

An  industrial  army  was  busy  in  and  around  the 
famous  residence  of  the  Kings  of  Kosnovia.  They 
were  tearing  it  to  pieces.  The  roof  was  off,  one  wing 
was  wholly  dismantled,  and  the  beautiful  gardens 
were  strewn  with  debris. 

"  In  the  name  of  Providence,  what  is  going  on  ?  " 
demanded  Monseigneur  of  the  driver. 

"  It  is  the  King's  order,  your  Highness,"  said  the 
man,  glorying  in  the  fact  that  the  muzzle  was  off — 
by  request.  "  The  castle  is  to  be  demolished,  and 
a  new  National  Assembly  built  on  the  site." 

"  Our  ancient  house  pulled  down  and  made  a  sty 
for  those  hogs !  The  King  must  be  mad !  " 

"  We  esteem  him  highly  in  Delgratz,"  said  the 
135 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

man  stoutly.  "  He  thinks  more  of  the  people  than 
of  palaces,  and  they  say  that  he  means  to  convert 
some  of  the  gold  lace  into  white  bread." 

The  bewildered  and  infuriated  Michael  now  re- 
membered that  the  few  officers  encountered  in  the 
railway  station  or  the  streets  seemed  to  be  far  less 
gaudily  attired  than  in  former  years.  In  a  passing 
thought  he  attributed  the  alteration  to  the  wearing 
of  undress  uniform  during  the  early  hours ;  but  the 
cab  driver's  words  seemed  to  hint  at  some  fresh  wave 
of  reform.  His  bulging  eyes  continued  to  glare  at 
the  ruined  palace;  but  native  caution  warned  him 
against  being  too  outspoken  in  the  presence  of  one 
of  the  lower  order. 

"  When  was  this  work  begun  ?  "  lie  asked. 

"  Three  days  ago,  your  Highness.  The  King  de- 
cided that  the  banqueting  hall  should  be  destroyed 
as  quickly  as  possible.  He  says  it  taints  the  air. 
As  for  the  Assembly,  it  must  wait.  Money  is  not  so 
plentiful." 

"  What  is  it,  Michael?  "  cried  the  Princess,  aware 
that  something  unforeseen  had  happened;  but  un- 
able to  grasp  its  significance,  owing  to  her  ignorance 
of  the  language. 

Monseigneur,  who  had  stood  up  in  the  carriage, 
subsided  again.  He  raised  both  hands  in  a  gesture 
of  bewilderment.  "  Alexis  III.  has  signalized  the 
first  month  of  his  reign  by  destroying  the  historic 
home  of  our  race — that  is  all,  madame!"  he  mut- 
tered bitterly. 

136 


The  Victim  of  Circumstances 

"  But  why  are  we  remaining  here  ?  Where  does 
Alec  live?  He  must  inhabit  a  house  of  some  sort. 
Tell  the  man  to  drive  there  at  once ! " 

The  Prince  affected  not  to  hear.  "  What  could 
Stampoff  be  thinking  of  to  permit  this  outrage?" 
he  murmured.  "  Why  was  not  I  consulted?  Idiot 
that  I  am,  and  coward  too!  I  see  now  the  mistake 
I  made.  Can  it  be  rectified?  Is  it  too  late?  " 

A  second  carriage,  laden  with  luggage,  drove  in 
through  the  gateway.  The  valet  and  a  French  maid 
gazed  in  discreet  wonder  at  their  master  and  mistress 
seated  disconsolately  in  front  of  a  tumbledown  build- 
ing. 

"  Michael,  I  insist  that  you  give  the  driver  direc- 
tions ! "  cried  his  wife  vehemently.,  "  We  cannot 
remain  here.  The  least  shred  of  commonsense  should 
warn  you  that  we  are  making  ourselves  ridicu- 
lous." 

"  Ah,  yes,  one  must  act,"  agreed  the  Prince.  He 
glanced  up  at  the  enthusiastic  supporter  of  the  new 
regime. 

"  We  have  traveled  here  from  Paris,  and  his 
Majesty's  recent  letters  have  missed  us,"  he  said, 
with  a  perceptible  return  of  the  grand  air  that  had 
served  him  in  good  stead  for  many  years.  "  Take 
us  to  his  Majesty's  present  residence.  The  error  is 
mine.  I  should  have  told  you  that  in  the  first  in- 
stance." 

"  The  King  is  living  in  the  President's  house,  Ex- 
cellency. It  is  not  far;  but  you  will  not  find  his 

137 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

Majesty  there  this  morning1.    At  four  o'clock  he  rode 
to  Grotzka  with  the  mad  Englishman " 

"  Ha !  and  who  may  that  be  ?  " 

"  An  English  milord,  who  laughs  always,  even 
when  his  Majesty  and  he  are  trying  to  break  their 
necks  at  a  game  they  play  on  horseback,  hitting  a 
white  ball  with  long  sticks.  I  have  seen  them.  They 
make  the  young  officers  play  it,  and  there  are  three 
in  hospital  already.  This  is  hot  weather  for  such 
an  infernal  amusement !  " 

Prince  Michael  nodded.  Like  every  other  person 
watching  affairs  on  the  Danube,  he  had  read  of  Lord 
Adalbert  Beaumanoir's  adventure  with  the  Austrian 
authorities, — indeed,  Europe  had  almost  expected  a 
declaration  of  war  over  the  incident, — but  he  did 
not  know  that  Beaumanoir  was  still  an  inhabitant 
of  Delgratz. 

"  To  Monsieur  Nesimir's ! "  he  said  sullenly,  and 
left  it  to  the  Princess  to  give  instructions  to  the 
servants  to  follow,  though  the  poor  woman  did  not 
yet  know  whither  she  was  being  taken.  She  was  very 
angry  with  her  husband,  and  she  blamed  herself  for 
not  having  telegraphed  to  her  son  before  leaving 
Paris.  But  she  had  yielded  to  Michael  Delgrado  dur- 
ing so  many  years  that  it  was  difficult  to  abandon 
the  habit  now;  yet  she  promised  herself  a  full  ex- 
planation with  Alec  when  they  met,  and  that  must 
be  soon,  since  here  she  was  in  Delgratz,  where,  judg- 
ing by  the  newspapers,  the  King  was  in  evidence 
every  hour  of  the  day. 

138 


The  Victim  of  Circumstances 

The  President's  house  was  distant  only  a  stone's 
throw,  and,  though  obviously  mystified,  stout  Nes- 
imir  met  his  unexpected  guests  cordially.  He  was 
disconsolate  because  of  the  King's  probable  absence 
till  late  in  the  afternoon. 

"  What  a  pity  his  Majesty  chose  to-day  for  a 
visit  to  the  artillery  camp !  "  he  cried.  "  But  I  shall 
send  a  courier;  he  can  return  by  noon.  How  is  it 
nothing  was  said  as  to  your  Highnesses*  visit.  I 
dined  with  the  King  last  night " 

"  We  wished  to  surprise  his  Majesty,"  explained 
Prince  Michael.  "  You  know  how  outspoken  he  is, 
and  how  easily  these  things  get  into  the  newspaper; 
so  we  started  from  Paris  without  a  word  to  a  soul. 
Send  no  courier  after  him,  I  beg.  A  rest  of  a  few 
hours  will  be  most  acceptable  to  the  Princess  and 
myself.  Madame  is  fatigued  after  a  long  journey, 
while  I  would  ask  nothing  better  than  an  armchair, 
a  cup  of  coffee,  a  cigarette,  and  a  chat ;  that  is,  if 
you  can  spare  the  time,  Monsieur  le  President." 

Nesimir  would  be  charmed  to  comply  with  Mon- 
seigneur's  desires  in  every  respect.  Really,  the  elder 
Delgrado  seemed  to  be  even  more  approachable  than 
his  son ;  for  the  President  was  unable  to  fathom  many 
of  the  social  views  propounded  by  Alexis  III.  This 
unheralded  advent  of  the  King's  parents,  too,  be- 
tokened some  secret  move.  He  was  sure  of  that,  and, 
being  a  man  to  whom  political  intrigue  was  the  breath 
of  life,  he  saw  that  a  gossip  with  Prince  Michael 
might  convey  information  of  much  possible* value  in 

139 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

the  near  future.  So  the  Princess  Belgrade  was 
ushered  to  a  room  by  Madame  Nesimir  with  all  possi- 
ble ceremony,  and  the  two  men  established  themselves 
on  a  cool  veranda. 

By  this  time,  Joan  and  Felix  were  seated  at  break- 
fast in  the  hotel.  Joan  had  wisely  left  the  bargain- 
ing with  the  landlord  to  her  companion,  and  he, 
knowing  something  of  Serbian  ways,  which  reck  little 
of  politeness  when  curiosity  can  be  sated,  chose  a 
sitting  room  on  the  first  floor  with  three  bedrooms 
adjoining.  The  sitting  room  was  a  huge  place,  big 
enough  to  serve  as  a  studio  if  necessary.  Three  large 
windows  commanded  a  view  of  the  main  street,  and 
the  solid  oak  door  opened  into  the  corridor  behind, 
which  also  gave  access  to  the  bedrooms. 

Poluski's  only  motive  in  selecting  this  particular 
suite  was  to  secure  the  maximum  of  privacy.  Joan's 
appearance  was  far  too  striking  that  she  should  be 
subjected  to  the  scrutiny  of  every  lounger  in  the 
restaurant  beneath.  In  this  primitive  community  she 
would  probably  receive  several  offers  of  marriage  the 
first  time  she  sat  at  table  in  the  public  dining  room. 

It  was  he,  too,  who  advised  her  never  to  go  out 
unless  she  was  deeply  veiled.  Joan  laughed  at  the 
reason — but  followed  his  counsel.  During  their  first 
stroll  in  the  open  air  she  said  she  felt  like  a  Moham- 
medan woman;  yet  she  soon  realized  that  a  double 
motor  veil  not  only  shielded  her  from  impertinent 
eyes  but  kept  her  face  free  from  dust  and  insects. 

Naturally,  they  made  straight  for  the  cathedral 
140 


The  Victim  of  Circumstances 

and  examined  the  quaint  picture  that  had  provided 
an  excuse  for  their  visit  to  the  Near  East.  They 
were  much  impressed.  They  gazed  at  its  brilliant 
coloring  and  stiff  pose  for  fully  a  minute.  Then 
Joan  broke  a  silence  that  was  becoming  irksome. 

"  If  it  is  really  a  Giotto,"  she  whispered,  "  it  was 
painted  before  he  broke  away  from  the  Byzantine 
tradition." 

"  Yes,"  murmured  Poluski,  "  here  we  have  both 
Giotto  and  Saint  Peter  at  their  worst." 

"  Felix,  how  can  I  copy  that  ?  " 

"  Impossible,  my  belle.  You  must  improvise,  using 
it  as  a  theme.  When  all  is  said  and  done,  you  know 
far  more  than  Giotto  about  Saint  Peter.  Holy  blue ! 
if  you  bring  that  back  to  Paris  as  a  veritable  likeness 
of  the  Chief  Apostle  you  will  be  placed  on  the  Index 
Expurgatorius.  Moreover,  it  would  not  be  fair  to 
him,  after  all  these  years." 

"  It  needed  only  this  to  prove  how  farcical  is  the 
whole  scheme.  I  am  beginning  to  dread  the  idea  of 
meeting  Alec.  He  will  laugh  at  me." 

"  That  will  do  him  good.  I  am  told  he  is  becoming 
most  serious." 

"  Told — by  whom  ?  Surely  you  have  not  sent  any 
message?  " 

"  Not  a  word.  I  leave  that  to  you — or  Princess 
Delgrado." 

"  How  snappy  you  are !  It  was  not  my  fault  that 
the  Princess  spoke  to  me.  She  would  never  have 
known  I  was  on  the  train  if  you  hadn't  sung." 

141 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

"  Ah,  by  the  way,  we  ought  to  hear  some  decent 
Gregorian  music  in  this  old  place.  See,  where  they 
have  put  the  choir,  nearly  under  the  dome.  Yes, 
we  must  attend  a  service.  The  bass  should  roll  like 
thunder  up  yonder " 

"  Felix,  who  told  you  about  Alec  ?  " 

"  A  waiter  in  the  hotel,  a  waiter  rejoicing  in  the 
noble  name  of  John  Sobieski,  a  Pole,  therefore,  like 
myself.  I  said  to  him  '  What  of  the  King?  '  He 
answered,  '  Everything  that  is  good,  if  one  listens 
to  the  people ;  but  the  officers  who  come  here  to  drink 
and  play  cards  do  not  like  him.'  I  explained  that 
I  wished  to  know  the  King's  whereabouts,  and  he  said 
that  if  I  was  anxious  to  see  the  gracious  youth  I 
should  have  a  splendid  opportunity  at  four  o'clock 
this  afternoon,  as  his  Majesty  will  pass  the  hotel  at 
that  hour  on  his  way  to  the  University,  where  he  has 
promised  to  attend  a  prize  giving." 

"  At  four  o'clock !  What  shall  we  do  meanwhile  ?  " 
asked  Joan  innocently. 

Felix  winked  brazenly  at  the  picture.  "  Delgratz 
is  a  picturesque  city,"  he  said.  "  Let  us  inspect  it." 

"  You  do  not  think  Alec  will  learn  of  our  presence 
and  visit  us  before  going  to  the  University  ?  " 

*'  Very  improbable.  He  is  out  in  the  country, 
watching  artillery  at  field  exercise.  Of  course,  he 
knows  nothing  about  artillery;  but  Kings  have  to 
pretend  a  good  deal.  Now,  if  I  were  a  young  lady 
who  had  been  traveling  for  a  day  and  two  nights, 
especially  if  I  had  slept  badly  during  the  second 

142 


The  Victim  of  Circumstances 

night,  I  should  stroll  about  the  principal  streets 
till  I  was  tired,  eat  a  light  luncheon,  sleep  for  an 
hour  afterward,  dress  myself  in  some  muslin  confec- 
tion, and  be  ready  to  dine  with  the  King  at  seven- 
thirty  or  thereabouts." 

"  I  shall  do  nothing  of  the  kind ! "  cried  Joan, 
blushing  behind  her  motor  veil. 

"  Very  well.  Behold  in  me  your  slave  of  the  lamp. 
What  shall  we  do?" 

"  I  don't  object  to  looking  at  the  shops  and  the 
people  for  a  little  while,"  she  admitted,  and  this  time 
Felix  did  not  wink  at  the  picture,  but  contented  him- 
self with  an  expressive  raising  of  his  bushy  eyebrows. 

The  program  he»  mapped  out  was  adhered  to  faith- 
fully. Joan  was  really  tired,  and  the  midday  heat 
of  Delgratz  was  not  only  novel  but  highly  disagree- 
able. She  retired  to  her  room  at  one  o'clock,  and 
Felix  heard  her  telling  her  maid  to  call  her  at  three. 

The  elderly  Frenchwoman  whom  Joan  employed 
as  a  compendium  of  all  the  domestic  virtues  was 
scandalized  by  the  pestering  she  had  already  under- 
gone at  the  hands  of  the  hotel  employees.  They 
wanted  to  know  everything  about  her  mistress  as 
soon  as  they  were  told  that  she  was  not  Poluski's 
wife,  and  the  staid  Pauline  was  at  her  wit's  end  to 
parry  the  questions  showered  on  her  in  bad  French. 
Felix  advised  her  not  to  understand  when  spoken 
to,  and  relieved  her  manifest  distress  by  the  state- 
ment that  the  hotel  would  see  the  last  of  them  in  a 
day  or  two. 

143 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

Then,  anxious  himself  to  be  rid  of  Pauline,  he 
strolled  out  into  Fiirst  Michaelstrasse,  entered  the 
hotel's  public  restaurant  by  another  door,  and  sat 
there,  musing  and  alone. 

Thus  far,  Joan  and  he  had  passed  through  the 
simple  vicissitudes  that  might  beset  any  other 
strangers  in  the  capital  of  Kosnovia.  Though  the 
little  man  expected  developments  when  Alec  heard 
of  Joan's  presence,  he  certainly  did  not  look  for 
squalls  forthwith;  yet  he  had  not  been  smoking  and 
humming  and  sipping  a  cup  of  excellent  coffee  more 
than  a  minute  before  he  became  aware  that  the  sunlit 
street  was  curiously  alive. 

The  hottest  hours  of  a  hot  day  might  well  have 
driven  the  citizens  of  Delgratz  indoors ;  but  some 
powerful  inducement  was  drawing  loiterers  to  Fiirst 
Michaelstrasse.  It  was  evident  that  the  attraction, 
whatsoever  it  might  be,  was  not  supplied  by  the 
thoroughfare  itself.  Men  lounged  along  the  pave- 
ments or  gathered  in  groups,  and  Poluski  noted  that 
few  women  were  present.  Soon  a  regiment  of  soldiers 
marched  up,  formed  into  two  ranks,  and  lined  the 
street  on  both  sides. 

Felix  betook  himself  to  the  door,  where  his  com- 
patriot was  dusting  marble  topped  tables  with  an 
apron  that,  under  other  conditions,  would  have  soiled 
them. 

"  Does  the  King  arrive  earlier  than  four  o'clock?  " 
he  asked. 

John  Sobieski  looked  around  furtively  before  he 
144 


The  Victim  of  Circumstances 

answered.  "  No,"  said  he  in  a  low  tone,  "  the 
crowd  is  gathering  to  see  the  regicides.  Their  trial 
ended  to-day,  and  they  are  being  taken  to  the  Old 
Fort  to  await  sentence." 

"Found  guilty?" 

"  I  should  think  so,  indeed,  monsieur !  They  gloried 
in  their  crime.  They  claim  that  they  cleared  the 
way  for  Alexis  III.  by  removing  Ferdinand.  Some 
people  say  the  King  cannot  really  be  severe  on  them, 
though  it  was  he  who  brought  them  to  justice." 

"  Have  they  many  sympathizers  ?  " 

The  waiter,  a  pallid  creature,  flicked  a  table  loudly 
to  cover  his  reply.  "  Some  of  our  customers  talk 
big;  but  it  is  a  strange  thing  that  the  authorities 
allow  the  men  of  the  disbanded  Seventh  Regiment  to 
remain  in  Delgratz.  There  are  hundreds  of  them 
in  the  street  at  this  moment." 

"  It  reminds  one  of  Warsaw." 

A  sudden  moisture  glistened  in  John  Sobieski's 
eyes.  "  Ah,  Warsaw !  "  he  muttered.  "  Shall  I  ever 
see  my  beautiful  city  again  ?  But  it  is  different  here, 
monsieur.  Even  though  they  quarrel  among  them- 
selves, they  have  at  least  got  rid  of  their  conquerors." 

A  quickening  of  interest  on  the  part  of  the  mob, 
a  general  craning  of  necks,  and  a  sharp  command 
to  the  soldiers  showed  that  the  criminals  were  en 
route  from  the  law  courts.  A  squad  of  cavalry 
trotted  into  sight,  followed  by  eight  closed  carriages. 
An  armed  policeman  sat  near  every  driver,  and  an- 
other stood  on  the  step  outside  each  door.  Mounted 

145 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

soldiers  in  single  file  surrounded  the  dismal  proces- 
sion, and  a  second  strong  detachment  guarded  the 
rear. 

It  was  a  doleful  spectacle,  and  Felix  was  puzzled 
by  the  absence  of  anything  in  the  nature  of  a  popular 
demonstration.  He  had  been  led  to  believe  that  Del- 
gratz  abhorred  these  murders  committed  in  the  name 
of  progress,  and  he  naturally  expected  an  emotional 
people  to  betray  their  feelings.  He  listened  in  vain 
for  a  yell  of  execration.  A  queer  murmur  ran 
through  the  crowd,  that  was  all,  a  murmur  that  was 
ominous,  almost  sinister.  He  scanned  the  faces  of 
the  crowd,  trying  to  pierce  their  stolid  aspect.  Some 
of  the  bystanders  obviously  belonged  to  the  mutinous 
regiment ;  but  he  looked  in  vain  for  any  sign  of  anger 
or  regret. 

Skilled  conspirator  that  he  was,  Poluski  seemed 
rather  to  discern  a  deep  laid  purpose  behind  their 
unnatural  phlegm,  yet  his  suspicions  died  away  when 
the  street  began  to  empty  as  soon  as  the  prisoners' 
vehicles  and  the  escort  had  clattered  past.  The  foot 
regiment  marched  off,  and  within  ten  minutes  Felix 
was  back  in  his  nook,  smoking  and  coffee  drinking, 
and  thanking  the  chance  that  left  Joan  unconscious 
of  this  grim  episode,  since  her  bedroom  windows 
looked  out  on  the  garden  in  rear  of  the  hotel. 

He  sat  there  quietly,  sternly  repressing  his  musical 
instincts  when  he  caught  himself  humming  some  fa- 
vorite melody;  nor  would  he  have  budged  until  Alec 
appeared  had  not  his  keen  eyes  noted  another  curious 

146 


The  Victim  of  Circumstances 

movement  in  the  street.  About  half-past  three  several 
men  strolled  past  the  cafe,  men  whom  he  distinctly 
remembered  having  seen  in  the  earlier  crowd.  In 
twos  and  threes  they  came,  and  he  fancied  that  the 
complete  disregard  each  set  paid  the  others  was 
rather  overdone. 

At  any  rate,  he  ordered  a  fresh  supply  of  coffee 
and  sought  enlightenment  from  Sobieski.  "  Just 
peep  at  some  of  those  fellows  in  the  street  and  tell 
me  if  they  are  not  soldiers  of  the  Seventh  Regiment," 
he  said. 

The  waiter  obeyed.  He  determined  the  point 
quickly.  "  I  recognize  a  few,  monsieur,"  he  mut- 
tered, "  and  I  believe  there  are  scores  of  them.  I 
wish  they  would  patronize  some  other  street.  Our 
patrons  will  not  care  to  mix  with  such  rascals." 

Poluski  rose  wearily ;  for  his  energetic  soul  was 
housed  in  a  frail  body,  and  the  long  journey  from 
Paris  had  exhausted  him. 

"  I  have  read  in  the  newspapers  that  King  Alexis 
dispenses  with  a  bodyguard?  "  he  said,  lighting  a 
fresh  cigar. 

"  He  hates  ceremony,  that  young  man,"  was  the 
ready  answer.  "  At  first  the  people  mobbed  him. 
Now  he  rides  through  Delgratz  like  a  courier,  some- 
times alone,  at  others  with  a  friend  or  two,  and 
perhaps  an  orderly." 

Felix  laughed.  "  He  is  a  fine  fellow,"  said  he. 
"  Do  the  King  a  good  turn,  John,  and  you  will  be 
able  to  buy  a  cafe  in  Warsaw  one  of  these  days." 

147 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

"  Me,  monsieur !  How  can  a  poor  waiter  hope  to 
serve  a  King?  " 

"  Que  diable!  You  never  know  your  luck.  Life  is  a 
lottery,  and  some  day  you  may  draw  the  great 
prize." 

Felix  sauntered  into  the  street  and  took  a  keen 
interest  in  its  architecture.  In  front  of  the  hotel 
and  down  a  slight  gradient  to  the  right  it  was  a  wide 
and  straight  thoroughfare ;  but  to  the  left  and  uphill 
it  narrowed  rapidly  and  took  a  sharp  left  turn.  In 
the  angle  stood  a  popular  restaurant,  and  the  rooms 
on  the  first  and  second  stories  were  full  of  customers. 
No  one,  apparently,  was  looking  out ;  but  small 
parties  of  men  sat  near  each  open  window,  and  they 
were  not  playing  cards  or  dominoes,  though  the 
greater  part  of  the  male  inhabitants  of  Delgratz 
seem  to  do  little  else  when  not  eating  or  sleeping. 
Moreover,  an  empty  bullock  cart  was  halted  in  front 
of  the  ground  floor  entrance. 

"  There's  thunder  in  the  air,"  said  Poluski  to  him- 
self;  but  he  continued  to  admire  the  irregular  out- 
lines of  Fiirst  Michaelstrasse.  Thus,  he  could  not 
fail  to  notice  that  the  upper  rooms  of  three  cafes 
exactly  similar  to  that  at  the  corner  were  untenanted, 
while  there  was  a  disposition  on  the  part  of  the  late 
Seventh  Regiment  to  group  itself  either  at  the  turn- 
ing or  a  good  deal  lower  down  the  street,  perhaps 
a  hundred  yards  beyond  the  hotel. 

"  Yes,"  said  he,  eying  the  glittering  expanse  of 
unclouded  blue  overhead,  "  a  storm  is  certainly  brew- 

148 


The  Victim  of  Circumstances 

ing.  I  can  feel  it  in  my  bones.  It  reminds  me  of 
the  afternoon  we  removed  the  Governor  of  Silesia. 
He  was  fused  by  a  thunderbolt,  from  just  such  a 
summer  sky.  Obviously,  what  he  lacked  was  a  light- 
ning conductor.  Now,  the  question  is,  even  if  he 
had  owned  one,  whereabouts  would  he  have  put 
it?" 

The  reply  was  given  by  the  appearance  of  two 
men  on  horseback  advancing  at  a  fast  trot  up  the 
easy  slope  of  the  hill.  They  were  notable  because 
they  wore  the  ordinary  costume  adopted  by  riders 
in  the  Bois  or  the  Row,  and  in  Delgratz,  where  rank 
was  marked  by  uniform,  this  fact  conferred  distinc- 
tion. A  few  yards  behind  them  cantered  a  couple 
of  soldiers. 

"  You  are  ten  minutes  before  time,  my  dear  Alec," 
murmured  Felix.  "  Joan  will  never  forgive  me  if 
she  is  still  asleep ;  but  what  is  one  to  do?  Saperlotte! 
One  must  act." 

A  hasty  glance  over  his  shoulder  showed  that  the 
gentry  in  the  corner  cafe  were  stirred  by  some  common 
impulse  that  led  them  to  the  windows,  while  the 
bullock  cart  was  now  drawn  awkwardly  across  the 
narrow  way.  As  the  horsemen  came  near,  the 
loungers  in  the .  lower  part  of  the  street  displayed 
a  singularly  unanimous  desire  to  close  in  and  follow 
them.  There  were  hundreds  of  townspeople  gathered 
on  the  pavements,  and  not  a  few  vehicles  occupied 
the  roadway ;  so  these  concerted  movements  were  not 
discernible  to  any  one  who  was  not  a  past  master 

149 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

in  the  revolutionary  art  like  Poluski,  and  to  him  only 
because  his  suspicions  were  already  active. 

The  King  and  Beaumanoir  were  coming  on  at  such 
a  pace  that  Felix,  owing  to  his  low  stature,  would 
be  quite  invisible  to  them  if  he  stood  among  the  crowd 
now  hovering  on  the  curb ;  so  he  pushed  boldly  out 
into  the  middle  of  the  street,  took  off  his  hat  with  a 
flourish,  and  sang  lustily: 

"  O,  Alec !    O,  mon  roll  "  *• 

The  thunderbolt  that  removed  the  Governor  of 
Silesia,  had  it  struck  the  paving  stones  in  front  of 
the  King's  horse,  could  hardly  have  startled  Alec 
more  than  the  sight  of  Felix,  standing  there,  bare 
headed  and  grinning,  and  chanting  an  improvised 
version  of  a  famous  song  at  the  top  of  his  voice. 

"You,  Felix!"  he  cried.     "You  here?" 

"  It  is  far  more  to  the  point  that  Joan  is  there," 
said  Poluski,  with  expressive  pantomime. 

"In  the  hotel?" 

"  Yes,  up  the  stairs,  first  door  on  the  right,  across 
the  landing.  You  have  a  few  minutes  to  spare.  Go 
quickly !  " 

Alec  required  no  second  bidding.  Leaping  from 
the  saddle,  he  threw  the  reins  to  one  of  the  orderlies. 
"  Give  me  a  few  seconds,  Berty,"  he  cried  to  Beau- 
manoir, and  before  the  onlookers  could  grasp  the 
motive  of  this  sudden  halt,  he  had  vanished  through 
the  doorway. 

"  You  come,  too ;  you  are  wanted,"  said  Felix, 
addressing  Beaumanoir  in  English. 

150 


The  Victim  of  Circumstances 

"  Sure  ?  "  asked  his  Lordship,  gazing  at  the  quaint 
figure  with  some  degree  of  astonishment. 

"  Yes,  it  is  a  matter  of  life  or  death.     Come !  " 

Beaumanoir  dismounted  leisurely.  "  Who's  going 
to  die?"  he  demanded,  drawing  the  reins  over  his 
charger's  head  ere  he  handed  them  to  the  second 
soldier. 

Felix  quivered,  yet  he  realized  that  the  English- 
man's cool  demeanor  was  wholly  in  accord  with  the 
plan  outlined  in  his  own  alert  brain. 

"  Everybody  of  any  consequence  in  this  bally 
menagerie  if  you  don't  hurry  up,"  said  Felix. 

The  use  of  British  slang  at  that  crisis  was  a  touch 
of  real  genius.  It  appealed  to  Beaumanoir.  "  Gad! 
it's  a  treat  to  hear  you  talk,"  he  grinned;  but  he 
thrust  through  the  gapers  in  his  turn. 

Felix  rushed  into  the  restaurant  and  clutched 
Sobieski.  "  Here's  your  chance ! "  he  growled  in 
Polish.  "  The  King's  life  is  in  danger.  Run  to  the 
President  and  tell  him  to  despatch  a  strong  body  of 
troops  on  whom  he  can  rely.  If  he  refuses  to  listen, 
•say  that  Felix  Poluski  sent  you,  and  bid  him  ask 
Prince  Michael  what  that  signifies.  Remember  the 
names — Poluski,  Michael — now  run!  Delay,  and 
your  throat  will  be  cut !  " 

John  Sobieski  was  trained  to  obey.  He  made  off 
without  a  word.  Felix  entered  the  hotel  by  a  side 
door.  He  darted  up  the  stairs,  breathless  and  almost 
spent.  He  was  in  time  to  see  Beaumanoir  open  the 
door  of  the  sitting  room  and  close  it  again  hastily. 

151 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

"  Oh,  dash  it  all !  "  began  his  Lordship ;  for  Alec, 
not  to  be  denied,  had  just  clasped  Joan  in  his  arras. 

"  In,  in !  Not  a  second  to  lose !  Barricade  the 
door !  "  gasped  Felix. 

"  But,  man  alive,  where  is  the  fire  ?  " 

"  In,  I  tell  you !  Sacre  nom!  Act  first  and  talk 
afterward !  " 

Felix  himself  flung  wide  the  door,  and  Alec,  at  this 
second  interruption,  was  compelled  to  free  the  scarlet 
faced  Joan  from  his  eager  embrace. 

"  Too  bad !  "  he  laughed.  "  You  promised  me  a 
minute,  Felix ! " 

Beaumanoir  came  in,  diffident  for  once  in  his  life, 
since  none  knew  so  well  as  he  how  dear  to  his  friend 
was  the  blushing  and  embarrassed  girl  whom  he  now 
met  for  the  first  time. 

"  Sorry,  old  chap,"  he  said ;  "  but  this  other  johnny 
will  have  it  that  somebody  is  thirsting  for  your 
gore." 

Poluski,  all  trembling  with  excitement,  slammed 
and  locked  the  door  and  pointed  to  a  heavy  side- 
board. "Drag  it  here!"  he  shrieked  in  a  high  fal- 
setto. "  The  street  is  crammed  with  men  belonging 
to  the  Seventh  Regiment,  and  they  have  a  short  way 
with  Kings  they  don't  like.  The  instant  they  see 
how  they  have  been  tricked  they  will  be  after  you 
like  a  pack  of  wolves.  I  have  sent  a  messenger  for 
help.  I  dared  not  use  one  of  your  orderlies,  because 
that  would  have  given  the  game  away.  While  the 
men  sit  their  horses  out  there  the  mutineers  may 

152 


Beaumanoir  and  Felix  fortified  the  position 


Pare  153 


The  Victim  of  Circumstances 

believe  you  will  soon  reappear.  Nevertheless,  block 
the  doorway  with  all  the  furniture.  We  must  gain 
ten  minutes  at  least,  or  it  may  be  twenty." 

Joan  was  the  first  to  credit  him.  She  ran  to  the 
window.  "  Oh,  Alec,  it  is  true ! "  she  cried.  "  I 
was  watching  the  crowd  before  you  came,  and  it  looks 
quite  different  now.  Hundreds  of  men  have  gath- 
ered, and  they  are  armed  with  knives  and  pistols. 
Something  has  made  them  angry,  and  the  two  sol- 
diers are  becoming  alarmed.  Oh,  my  dear,  my  dear ! 
misfortune  and  I  have  come  to  you  hand  in  hand ! " 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  you  and  Felix  have  saved 
my  life,"  said  Alec  quietly.  "  Now,  Beaumanoir, 
you  and  I  must  fortify  the  position.  Joan,  stand 
with  your  back  to  the  wall  between  the  windows. 
Felix,  watch  the  houses  opposite,  and  don't  let  the 
enemy  take  us  in  flank  without  warning.  Thank 
goodness  for  an  oak  sideboard  and  a  heavy  table! 
Are  you  ready,  Berty  ?  Heave  away,  then !  We 
shall  occupy  a  box  in  the  front  row  when  Stampoff 
arrives  with  his  hussars !  By  Jove !  what  a  day ! 
Twelve  hours  in  that  scorching  sun  and  Joan  wait- 
ing here  all  the  time!  Well,  wonders  will  never 
cease !  I  wish  we  had  one  of  those  live  shells  we 
were  experimenting  with  this  morning.  It  would 
come  in  handy  when  the  first  panel  gives  way." 


153 


CHAPTER  VIII 

SHOWING  HOW  THE  KING  KEPT  HIS  APPOINTMENT 

JOAN'S  eyes  could  not  leave  Alec.  She  followed 
each  movement  of  his  lithe,  strongly  knit  frame  as 
he  and  Beaumanoir  hauled  the  heavy  pieces  of  furni- 
ture into  position  behind  the  door.  She  was  not 
fully  alive  as  yet  to  the  real  menace  of  the  gesticulat- 
ing mob  surging  in  the  street  beneath,  and  her 
thoughts  ran  riot  in  the  newly  discovered  paradise 
of  being  loved  and  in  love. 

For  Alec  had  asked  no  questions,  listened  to  no 
explanations.  When  he  entered  the  room,  he  found 
her,  half  turned  from  the  window,  conscious  that  he 
was  near,  though  trying  to  persuade  her  throbbing 
heart  that  Felix  would  not  depart  from  an  implied 
promise  by  sending  him  to  her  without  warning. 
She  strove  to  utter  some  words  of  greeting.  Before 
she  could  speak,  Alec's  arms  were  around  her,  and 
he  was  kissing  her  lips,  her  forehead,  her  hair.  She 
saw  him  as  through  a  mist.  Her  first  fleeting  im- 
pression was  that  he  had  become  older,  sterner, 
more  commanding.  Kingship  had  set  its  seal  on  him. 
A  short  month  of  power  had  stamped  lines  on  his 
face  that  would  never  vanish.  But  that  sense  of 

154 


The  King  Keeps  His  Appointment 

imperiousness  was  quickly  dispelled  by  the  enchant- 
ment of  her  presence. 

Somehow,  almost  without  spoken  word,  he  brought 
the  thrilling  conviction  that  he  was  hungering  for 
her.  The  light  in  his  eyes,  the  overwhelming  ardor 
of  his  embrace,  the  magnetic  force  that  leaped  the 
intervening  space  while  yet  they  were  separated  by 
half  the  length  of  the  room, — these  things  bewildered, 
charmed,  subdued  her  wholly,  and  she  kindled  under 
them  ere  her  brain  could  summon  to  aid  the  feeblest 
of  remonstrances. 

She  abandoned  the  nebulous  idea  of  protest  when 
she  found  that  she  in  turn  was  clinging  to  him,  giv- 
ing kiss  for  kiss  with  a  delirious  intensity  that  re- 
fused to  be  denied.  Nevertheless,  the  sheer  joy  of 
her  emotions  frightened  her,  and  she  was  endeavor- 
ing to  subdue  its  too  sensuous  expression  when  Beau- 
manoir  opened  the  door,  to  close  it  again  hurriedly. 
She  recovered  her  faculties  slowly.  She  was  still 
quivering  under  the  stress  of  that  moment  of  in- 
effable delight,  and  her  brown  eyes  sparkled  with  the 
glow  of  a  soul  on  fire,  and  she  was  brought  back  to 
earth  only  by  the  knowledge  that  Felix,  standing  at 
his  post  near  a  window,  was  on  the  verge  of  collapse. 

The  sideboard  contained  a  flask  of  brandy,  which 
Pauline  had  insisted  on  stowing  in  a  dressing  bag  in 
case  of  illness.  Joan,  glad  of  the  pretext  to  do  some 
commonplace  thing,  thankful  for  the  mere  utterance 
of  commonplace  words,  called  for  help. 

"  Please  remove  the  table  for  an  instant,"  she 
155 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

cried.     "  Felix  is   ill,  and  I  want  to  get   at  some 
cognac  that  is  in  the  cellarette." 

"  111 !  He  was  lively  enough  in  the  street  a  min- 
ute ago,  singing  like  a  thrush,"  said  Alec  cheerily, 
though  he  did  not  fail  to  pull  the  table  clear  of  the 
cupboard.  "  What  is  it,  my  Humming  Bee? "  he 
demanded,  turning  to  Poluski.  "  Is  it  a  surfeit  of 
excitement,  or  late  hours,  or  what?  " 

"  I  am  yielding  to  the  unusual,  my  King,"  crackled 
the  Pole's  voice  thinly.  "  During  three  whole  days 
I  have  done  naught  but  think,  and  that  would  in- 
commode an  elephant,  leave  alone  a  rat  like  me."  - 

"  Rat,  indeed !  When  we  are  all  out  of  this  trap, 
Felix,  you  must  tell  me  what  caused  your  alarming 
exercise  of  brain  power.  Already  you  have  bothered 
me  to  guess  how  you  fathomed  the  pretty  scheme 
you  are  now  upsetting." 

'*  There,  dear  Felix,  drink  that,  and  you  will  soon 
feel  strong  again,"  put  in  Joan. 

"  Ha,  dear  Felix,  am  I?  I  expected  to  be  called 
anything  but  that  after  breaking  my  word  so  dis- 
gracefully ! " 

"You  are  forgiven,"  said  she  with  a  tender  smile 
at  Alec. 

Beaumanoir,  discreetly  peeping  through  the  win- 
dow over  Poluski's  shoulder,  saw  something  that  per- 
plexed him. 

"  I  say,  Alec,"  he  exclaimed,  "  I  thought  you  told 
me  that  Stampoff's  man  Bosko  was  a  thoroughly  re- 
liable sort  of  chap." 

156 


The  King  Keeps  His  Appointment 

"  I  have  always  found  him  so." 

"  Well,  just  at  present  he  looks  jolly  like  a  de- 
serter. He  is  making  a  speech  to  the  mob  and  tear- 
ing off  his  uniform  obligate.  The  other  joker  is 
scared  to  death." 

"  Bosko  making  a  speech !  Why,  he  never  says 
anything  but  *  Oui,  monsieur,'  or  *  Non,  monsieur* 
which  is  all  the  French  he  knows.  Well,  this  is  a 
day  of  wonders,  anyhow." 

Neglecting  the  precautions  he  had  insisted  on  a 
minute  earlier,  Alec  himself  went  to  the  window  and 
drew  Joan  with  him.  There  were  two  other  windows 
in  the  room;  but  the  four  clustered  in  the  one  deep 
recess,  for  the  thick  walls  of  this  old  building  were 
meant  to  defy  extremes  of  heat  and  cold.  By  this 
time  one  of  the  two  orderlies  had  dismounted  and  was 
stamping  on  his  smart  cavalry  jacket  and  plumed 
shako,  thus  announcing  by  eloquent  pantomime,  that 
he  was  discarding  forever  the  livery  of  a  tyrant. 

The  mob  in  the  street  was  now  swollen  to  unrecog- 
nizable dimensions,  and  Alec's  charger,  which  Bosko 
was  holding,  resented  the  uproar  by  lashing  out 
viciously  with  his  heels.  A  man  who  had  narrowly 
escaped  being  kicked  drew  a  revolver,  fired,  and  the 
spirited  Arab  fell  with  a  bullet  in  its  brain.  The 
dastardly  act  was  cheered ;  for  the  Seventh  Regiment 
remembered  that  this  same  white  horse  had  stumbled 
and  thrown  King  Theodore  on  the  day  of  his 
murder. 

"  Oh,  the  coward,  the  hateful  coward ! "  wailed 
157 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

Joan,  and  two  of  the  men  muttered  expressions  of 
opinion  that  must  be  passed  over  in  silence. 

But  Felix  happened  to  be  watching  Bosko,  and 
noted  the  black  rage  that  convulsed  his  face 
when  the  Arab  dropped  dead  at  his  feet.  The  Al- 
banian's feelings  mastered  him  only  for  an  instant. 

He  began  at  once  to  harangue  the  crowd  again,  evi- 
dently offering  to  lead  his  own  horse  out  of  harm's 
way,  and  loudly  bidding  his  frightened  comrade  to 
do  likewise. 

A  path  was  being  cleared  when  some  one  looked 
up  at  the  window,  and  a  fierce  yell  proclaimed  the 
King's  presence.  Bosko  was  forgotten.  Sight  of 
their  quarry  had  frenzied  the  pack. 

"  Down  everyone ! "  cried  Alec,  bending  double 
and  dragging  Joan  with  him. 

Several  panes  of  glass  were  starred  with  little  round 
holes,  mortar  fell  from  the  ceiling,  and  the  crackle  of 
shots  below  showed  that  revolvers  were  popular  in 
Delgratz.  But  Felix  had  seen  enough  to  set  his 
shrewd  wits  working. 

"  That  man  of  yours — is  Bosko  his  name? — is  no 
fool,"  said  he,  when  they  had  crept  from  the  glass 
strewn  area  into  the  shelter  of  the  stout  wall.  "  He 
is  gulling  your  beloved  subjects,  Alec.  He  realizes 
that  trouble  is  brewing,  and  he  means  to  steal  off  and 
bring  help.  Fortunately,  my  brave  Sobieski  will  be 
at  the  President's  house  by  this  time,  and  your  guards 
may  arrive  before  those  cutthroats  in  the  street  de- 
cide to  storm  the  hotel." 

158 


The  King  Keeps  His  Appointment 

"  Sobieski — who  is  he?  "  asked  Alec. 

"  A  waiter  in  the  restaurant.  I  have  pledged  you 
to  buy  him  a  cafe  in  Warsaw  if  the  troops  come 
speedily." 

"  Make  it  a  brewery,  Alec,"  said  Beaumanoir ; 
"  these  bounders  mean  business." 

A  constant  fusillade  of  bullets  was  now  tearing  the 
windows  to  atoms,  and  shattering  the  ceiling  on 
the  other  side  of  the  room.  Lord  Adalbert  was  justi- 
fied in  offering  liberal  terms  for  relief. 

The  King,  standing  with  one  arm  thrown  round 
Joan's  shoulders,  felt  the  tremors  she  strove  vainly 
to  repress.  "Don't  be  afraid,  sweetheart.  They 
cannot  reach  us  here,"  he  said.  "  I  have  one  un- 
known protector,  it  seems,  and  I  feel  sure  that  Felix 
is  right  about  Bosko.  The  only  drawback  is  that 
our  friendly  waiter  may  find  some  difficulty  in  per- 
suading the  officers  on  duty  at  Monsieur  Nesimir's 
house  that  we  are  in  danger.  We  must  risk  that." 

"  Oh,  to  safeguard  against  delay,  I  told  him  to 
ask  for  the  Prince,"  said  Felix. 

"  What  Prince?  " 

"  Your  father,  of  course.  Ha !  Name  of  a  good 
little  gray  man !  You  don't  know  that  Prince 
Michael  and  your  mother  are  in  Delgratz." 

"  Mark  cock ! "  cried  Beaumanoir,  as  a  bullet  flew 
breast  high  across  the  room  and  imbedded  itself  in 
the  inner  wall.  The  heroes  of  the  Seventh  Regiment 
were  firing  from  the  upper  floors  of  the  houses 
opposite. 

159 


Alec  did  not  seem  to  heed.  The  look  of  blank 
amazement  on  his  face  proved  that  he  had  ridden 
straight  from  the  review  ground  to  the  university, 
whereas  a  call  at  the  President's  house  would  have 
enlightened  him. 

"  It  is  true,  dear,"  whispered  Joan.  "  They  came 
with  us  from  Paris ;  in  the  same  train,  that  is.  We 
all  arrived  at  Delgratz  this  morning.  Your  mother 
spoke  to  me  on  the  platform  at  Vienna." 

He  smiled  with  something  of  the  old  careless  humor 
of  Paris  days.  "  I  suppose  everything  is  for  the 
best,"  he  said.  "Nothing  surprises  me  now,  not 
even  this,"  and  he  nodded  cheerfully  toward  the  land- 
ing and  stairs,  whence  a  rush  of  footsteps  and  clamor 
of  voices  were  audible. 

The  handle  of  the  door  was  wrenched  violently, 
and  shots  were  fired  into  the  lock  and  at  the  panels ; 
but  the  wood  was  seasoned  and  stanch,  and  nothing 
short  of  a  rifle  would  drive  a  bullet  through.  The 
door  creaked  and  ^trained  under  the  pressure  of  the 
mutineers'  shoulders.  Had  it  not  been  reinforced 
by  the  solid  sideboard  and  equally  heavy  table,  it 
must  have  given  way.  As  it  was,  no  four  men  in 
Delgratz  could  hope  to  force  an  entrance,  and  no 
more  than  four  could  attack  it  simultaneously. 

It  was  noteworthy  that  no  one  called  on  the  King 
to  come  out.  These  hirelings,  enraged  against  a 
ruler  who  had  brought  to  the  Danube  a  new  evangel 
of  justice  and  uprightness,  of  honest  government  and 
clean  handed  service  to  the  State,  made  no  pretense 

160 


The  King  Keeps  His  Appointment 

of  requesting  a  hearing  for  their  grievances.  They 
had  planned  to  shoot  him  in  cold  blood  while  he  and 
his  three  companions  were  momentarily  delayed  by 
the  barrier  of  the  bullock  cart  in  front  of  the  corner 
cafe.  Balked  of  this  easy  means  of  attaining  their 
end,  they  were  still  sure  of  success.  But  their  cries 
and  curses  were  intended  only  for  self  encouragement. 
Not  even  the  bloodstained  Seventh  Regiment  had  the 
effrontery  to  ask  their  victim  to  admit  them. 

There  was  a  momentary  quieting  of  their  wild  beast 
fury  when  the  door  resisted  their  utmost  efforts. 
Joan  tried  to  persuade  her  tortured  mind  that  the 
conspiracy  had  failed. 

"  They  will  not  dare  to  remain,"  she  whispered. 
"  They  know  that  assistance  may  arrive  at  any 
moment.  Listen,  they  are  going  now ! " 

"  Are  you  gentlemen  armed  ?  "  asked  Felix,  grimly. 

"  Yes,  with  riding  whips,"  said  Alec.  "  For  my 
part,  I  have  refused  to  carry  any  more  dangerous 
weapon ;  though  it  is  true  that  I  entered  Delgratz 
with  a  sword  in  my  hand,"  he  added,  remembering 
with  a  twinge  his  imagining  of  Joan's  ready  laugh 
when  she  heard  of  Prince  Michael's  brown  paper 
parcel. 

"  Pity  you  don't  possess  a  revolver  apiece.  They 
would  prove  useful  when  the  panels  are  broken,  which 
will  happen  just  as  soon  as  these  high  spirited  poli- 
ticians on  the  landing  secure  axes,"  went  on  Felix 
remorselessly. 

He  wanted  Joan  to  realize  the  certain  fate  that 
161 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

awaited  her  once  the  door  gave  way.  Concealment 
was  useless,  and  he  hoped  she  would  faint  before  the 
end  came. 

"What  price  the  leg  of  a  chair?"  asked  Beau- 
manoir. 

The  Pole  bent  his  gleaming  gray  eyes  on  the 
Briton  with  a  curious  underlook  of  inquiry.  "  No, 
no.  We  can  do  better  than  that.  You  would  be 
shot  before  you  could  strike  a  blow.  Joan,  please 
crawl  past  the  window  and  stand  upright  in  the 
corner  close  to  the  wall.  You  follow,  Alec.  I  go 
next,  and  this  young  gentleman,  who  must  be  Lord 
Adalbert  Beaumanoir,  since  he  has  all  the  outward 
signs  of  the  British  aristocracy,  will  place  himself 
near  the  door.  If  he  does  exactly  what  I  tell  him, 
we  still  have  a  fighting  chance." 

The  change  of  position  advised  by  Poluski  ren- 
dered them  safe  from  their  assailants'  bullets  until 
the  door  was  actually  off  its  hinges  and  the  furniture 
thrust  aside.  In  the  last  resort,  Alec  meant  to  show 
himself  at  a  window  and  offer  a  fair  target  to  the 
men  in  the  houses  across  the  street.  When  he  fell 
the  shooting  from  that  quarter  would  cease.  Then, 
acting  on  his  precise  instructions,  Beaumanoir  and 
Felix  must  lift  Joan  through  another  window  and 
allow  her  to  drop  to  the  pavement.  It  was  not  far. 
She  might  escape  uninjured,  and  there  was  a  possi- 
bility that  the  mob  would  spare  a  woman  who  was  an 
utter  stranger,  one  in  no  way  mixed  up  in  Kos- 
novian  affairs. 

162 


The  King  Keeps  His  Appointment 

Time  enough  to  take  this  final  step  when  their  de- 
fense was  forced,  and  that  would  be  soon.  In  all 
likelihood,  he  had  not  much  more  than  a  minute  to 
live,  and  he  devoted  that  minute  to  Joan. 

"  Sweetheart,"  he  murmured  tenderly,  "  you  saw 
the  beginning  of  my  career  as  a  King,  and  it  seems 
that  you  are  fated  to  see  its  end.  Have  you  for- 
gotten what  Pallas  Athene  said  to  Perseus?  It  is 
not  so  long  ago,  that  morning  in  the  Louvre.  But 
why  did  you  run  away  from  Paris?  Why  have  you 
not  written?  If  you  knew  how  I  hoped  for  a  word 
from  you !  My  heart  told  me  you  loved  me ;  but  even 
one's  heart  likes  to  be  assured  that  it  is  not  mis- 
taken." 

He  was  looking  into  her  eyes.  The  fantasy  seized 
her  that  he  was  able  to  read  her  secret  soul,  and 
she  swept  aside  any  thought  of  concealment.  "  Alec," 
she  said,  "tell  me  truly,  are  we  in  danger  of 
death?  " 

"  I  am,"  he  replied  simply.  It  was  better  so,  he 
thought. 

"  Then  I  thank  God  that  I  am  here  to  die  with 
you." 

He  dared  not  hint  that  she  might  escape.  "  We 
still  have  a  remote  chance,"  he  went  on.  "  Let  us 
talk  of  ourselves,  not  of  death." 

"  But  I  don't  want  to  die,  Alec,"  she  whispered 
brokenly.  "  I  want  to  live,  dear.  I  want  to  live 
and  be  your  wife.  Oh,  Alec,  let  us  ask  Heaven  for 

one  year  of  happiness,  one  short  year "  She 

163 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

choked,  and  the  tears  so  bravely  repressed  hitherto 
dimmed  her  glorious  eyes.  Her  piteous  appeal  in- 
creased the  torment  of  his  impotence.  His  face  grew 
marble  white  beneath  the  bronze,  and  he  bent  jn  mute 
agony  over  her  bowed  head. 

Felix,  crouching  behind  Beaumanoir,  assured  him- 
self that  the  King  and  his  chosen  lady  were  momen- 
tarily deaf  to  all  else  than  the  one  supreme  fact  that 
each  loved  the  other.  He  sighed,  and  touched  the 
stalwart  Beaumanoir's  shoulder,  which  he  was  just 
able  to  reach  with  uplifted  hand. 

"  Drop  on  your  knees,"  he  said.  "  I  want  to  tell 
you  something." 

"  You  think  it  is  high  time  I  said  my  prayers — 
eh,  what?" 

Yet  the  younger  man  obeyed,  since  there  was  a 
calm  authority  in  the  pinched  and  wrinkled  face 
raised  to  his  that  seemed  to  despise  the  uproar  of 
the  mob.  Felix  was  singularly  unmoved  by  the  bestial 
din.  He  evidently  cared  naught  for  the  continuous 
shooting  from  street  and  houses,  or  the  renewed 
outburst  on  the  stairs  that  welcomed  the  arrival  of 
axes  and  sledge  hammers  rifled  from  a  neighboring 
shop. 

"  Pay  heed  to  what  I  am  going  to  say,"  he  mut- 
tered, bringing  his  mouth  close  to  Beaumanoir's  ear, 
"  I  don't  wish  Joan  or  the  King  to  know  what  we 
are  doing.  They  will  be  wise  after  the  event,  not 
before,  which  is  often  the  better  part  of  wisdom. 
Have  you  a  steady  hand?  Will  you  flinch  if  I  ask 

164, 


The  King  Keeps  His  Appointment 

you  to  destroy  every  man  on  the  other  side  of  that 
door?" 

Beauraanoir  twisted  his  head  round  and  grinned. 
"  If  asking  will  do  the  trick,  try  me ! "  said  he. 

Felix  took  from  an  inner  pocket  of  his  coat  a 
gunmetal  cigarcase.  He  pressed  a  spring,  and  the 
lid  flew  open.  Inside  were  four  cigar  shaped  cyl- 
inders, each  studded  with  a  number  of  tiny  knobs. 
He  withdrew  a  cylinder,  and  from  a  small  cup  in 
its  base  obtained  six  percussion  caps,  which  he  pro- 
ceeded to  adjust  on  the  iron  nipples. 

"  My  own  patent ! "  he  exclaimed,  with  an  air  of 
pride  that  was  grotesque  under  the  conditions. 
"  Each  cigar  is  a  bomb,  warranted  to  clear  any 
ordinary  room  of  its  occupants.  It  does  not  dis- 
criminate. It  will  dismember  the  most  exalted  per- 
sonages." 

"By  gad!"  ejaculated  Beaumanoir,  shrinking 
away  slightly. 

Felix  pressed  closer  in  his  enthusiasm.  "  The 
point  carrying  the  detonators  is  loaded  with  lead. 
If  properly  handled,  it  is  sure  to  fly  with  that  end 
in  front.  You  take  it  between  your  thumb  and 
second  finger,  thus,  and  poise  it  by  placing  the  tip 
of  the  first  finger  behind  it,  thus;  but  you  must 
throw  hard,  and  wait  until  the  upper  part  of  the 
door  is  smashed,  and  you  can  fling  it  clear,  or  three 
ounces  of  dynamite  will  explode  in  front  of  your 
nose,  with  disastrous  effect.  I  will  have  a  second 
bomb  ready  if  the  first  one  fails  ;  but  it  will  not." 

165 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

"  By  gad !  "  said  Beaumanoir  again,  gazing  at 
the  deadly  contrivance  as  if  fascinated  by  it.  He 
could  retreat  no  farther,  being  jammed  against  the 
sideboard.  * 

"  Do  you  understand?  "  demanded  Felix  coolly. 

"  Perfectly.     Is  it — er — Russian  or  Spanish  ?  " 

"  Neither.  I  call  it  the  International.  Are  you 
ready?  " 

A  thunderous  blow  shook  the  door.  Another  and 
another  fell  on  lock  and  hinges. 

"  Felix !  "  said  Alec,  turning  from  Joan  and  stoop- 
ing over  the  hunchback. 

"  Don't  bother  me,  I  am  busy,"  growled  the  Pole. 

"  But  we  must  act.  We  are  done  for  now,  and 
Joan  must  be  saved.  I  mean  to  draw  the  enemy's 
fire.  When  I  am  hit,  you  and  Beaumanoir  must 
take  Joan  to  the  third  window  over  there — take  her 
by  force  if  necessary " 

"  My  good  Alec,  at  present  you  are  a  King  without 
power.  Please  don't  talk  nonsense.  Keep  in  your 
corner,  pacify  Joan,  and  leave  the  rest  to  me." 

"  Felix,"  and  Alec's  tone  grew  curt  and  sharp, 
"this  is  no  time  for  jest!  Look,  you  madman,  the 
door  is  splitting!  Is  Joan  to  die,  then,  to  please 
your  whim?  Either  attend  to  me  or  stand  aside!" 

Poluski  groaned.  He  was  such  an  amalgam  of 
contrarieties  that  he  hated  the  notion  of  explaining 
to  a  monarch  the  subtle  means  he  had  devised  for 
ridding  the  world  of  its  unpopular  rulers.  Where 
Alec  was  concerned,  the  bomb  ought  to  remain  a 

166 


The  King  Keeps  His  Appointment 

trade  secret,  so  to  speak.  He  would  not  have  trusted 
even  Beaumanoir  with  its  properties  had  he  not 
known  that  his  own  nerve  would  fail  at  the  critical 
moment.  For  that  was  Felix  Poluski's  weakness. 
He  could  not  use  his  diabolical  invention — an  an- 
archist in  theory,  in  practice  he  would  not  harm  a 

fly. 

"  I  think  just  as  much  of  Joan  as  you!  "  he  blazed 
back  at  the  pallid  man  whose  next  step  promised  to 
lead  to  the  grave.  "  I  am  King  here,  not  you ! 
Keep  yourself  and  Joan  out  of  harm's  way,  and  don't 
interfere !  Stand  flat  against  the  wall,  both  of  you ! 
Back,  I  say !  There  is  the  first  axhead !  Now  you, 
who  were  born  a  lord,  be  ready  to  lord  it  over  these 
groundlings !  " 

He  whirled  round  on  Beaumanoir,  and  Alec  saw 
in  his  friend's  hand  some  object,  what  he  could  not 
guess,  while  Felix  carried  a  similar  article  in  re- 
serve, as  it  were.  The  little  man's  earnestness  was 
so  convincing  that  the  King  could  not  choose  but 
believe  that  some  scheme  that  offered  salvation  was 
in  train.  But  it  might  fail!  The  door  might  be 
forced  before  his  own  desperate  alternative  could  be 
adopted,  and  the  consequences  to  Joan  of  failure 
were  too  horrible  to  be  risked.  A  panel  shivered 
into  splinters  and  the  muzzles  of  two  revolvers 
frowned  through  the  aperture. 

"  Wait !  "  bellowed  Poluski ;  for  Beaumanoir's  hand 
was  raised. 

Lord  Adalbert  did  more  than  wait.  With  the 
167 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

quickness  born  of  many  a  hard  won  victory  on  the 
polo  ground,  his  free  left  hand  flew  out  and  grasped 
the  wrist  behind  one  of  the  pistols.  He  pulled 
fiercely  and  irresistibly.  An  arm  appeared,  and  a 
yell  of  pain  signalized  a  dislocated  shoulder. 

The  weapon  exploded  harmlessly  and  fell  to  the 
floor.  A  living  stop  gap  now  plugged  the  first  hole 
made  by  the  ax  wielders,  while  the  writhing  body 
of  their  comrade  interfered  with  further  operations. 

Beaumanoir  gave  an  extra  wrench,  and  his  victim 
howled  most  dolorously.  He  slipped  the  bomb  into 
his  coat  pocket. 

"  Pick  up  that  revolver,  Alec,"  he  cried.  "  If  it 
is  still  loaded  it  will  help  us  to  hold  the  fort." 

The  King  rushed  forward,  and  butted  against 
Beaumanoir  in  his  haste.  Felix,  whose  skin  was 
always  sallow,  became  livid;  but  nothing  happened, 
and  he  snatched  the  bomb  from  its  dangerous  resting 
place.  Then  he  burst  into  a  paroxysm  of  hysterical 
laughter  which  drowned  for  an  instant  a  new  hubbub 
in  the  street.. 

Alec,  hastily  examining  his  prize,  found  that  three 
chambers  were  loaded.  He  was  about  to  search  for 
a  crack  in  the  door  through  which  he  could  fire  at 
least  one  telling  shot,  when  his  ear  caught  the  pranc- 
ing of  horses  on  the  paving  stones. 

Joan,  thoroughly  enlightened  now  as  to  their 
common  peril,  had  behaved  with  admirable  coolness 
since  Alec  implored  her  not  to  stir  from  the  corner 
between  door  and  window.  She  was  sure  they  would 

168 


The  King  Keeps  His  Appointment 

all  be  killed,  and  her  lips  moved  in  fervent  prayer 
that  death  might  be  merciful  in  its  haste;  but  she 
was  not  afraid ;  that  storm  of  tears  had  been  succeeded 
by  a  spiritual  exaltation  that  rescued  her  from  any 
ignoble  panic.  Yet  her  senses  were  strained  to  a 
tension  far  more  exhausting  than  the  display  of 
emotion  natural  to  one  plunged  without  warning  into 
the  most  horrible  of  the  many  horrors  of  civil  war, 
and  she  had  heard,  long  before  the  others,  the  onrush 
of  cavalry  and  the  stampede  of  the  mob. 

So,  when  her  eyes  met  Alec's,  and  she  saw  that 
questioning  look  in  his  face,  she  smiled  at  him  with 
a  radiant  confidence  that  was  astounding  at  such  a 
moment. 

"  Heaven  has  been  good  to  us,  dear,"  she  said. 
"  Your  soldiers  are  here.  Your  enemies  are  running 
away.  Listen !  they  are  fighting  now  on  the  stairs. 
The  unhappy  men  who  raved  for  our  lives  will  lose 
their  own.  Can  nothing  be  done  to  save  them  ?  " 

He  ran  to  the  window.  Those  leaden  blasts  that 
had  swept  the  room  from  the  first  floors  of  the 
opposite  houses  had  ceased,  and  not  one  potvaliant 
marksman  of  them  all  was  to  be  seen ;  but  the  street 
was  full  of  hussars,  and  directly  beneath,  mounted 
on  an  excited  horse,  Stampoff  was  giving  furious 
orders  which  evidently  demanded  an  energetic  storm- 
ing of  the  hotel  entrance. 

Alec  threw  open  the  window  and  leaned  out. 
"  Just  in  time,  old  friend !  "  he  cried. 

Stampoff  heard  him  and  looked  up.  "  God's 
169 


bones ! "  he  roared.  "  Here  is  the  King  safe  and 
sound.  At  them,  my  children!  Dig  them  out  with 
your  sabers  !  Don't  leave  a  man  alive !  " 

"  Stop !  "  shouted  Alec.  "  No  more  slaughter ! 
I  forbid  it!" 

Stampoff  wheeled  round  on  his  charger  and  ad- 
dressed the  press  of  soldiers  who  had  been  unable  to 
take  any  part  in  the  street  clearing,  since  the  mob 
broke  and  fled  when  the  first  rank  of  plumed  caps 
and  flashing  swords  became  visible. 

"  You  hear,  my  children,"  he  vociferated.  "  Don't 
harm  anybody  who  does  not  resist.  The  King's  com- 
mands must  be  obeyed." 

Joan,  of  course,  could  only  guess  what  was  being 
said;  but  she  could  not  fail  to  recognize  the  sounds 
of  conflict  on  the  stairs.  Men  are  strangely  akin 
to  tigers  when  they  see  red,  and  the  tiger's  roar 
when  he  pounces  on  a  victim  differs  greatly  from 
his  own  death  scream.  Alec,  powerless  to  move 
Stampoff,  who  believed,  rightly,  as  it  transpired,  that 
the  ringleaders  were  foremost  in  the  attack,  turned 
to  Beaumanoir. 

"  Release  that  fellow,"  he  said.  "  If  I  am  able 
to  make  my  voice  heard  through  the  racket,  I  can 
put  an  end  to  this  butchery." 

Beaumanoir  let  go  the  arm,  and  a  body  fell  on 
the  other  side  of  the  door. 

"  You  ar<e  too  late,  I  hope,"  he  said  quietly. 
"  My  prisoner  took  the  knock  just  before  you  spoke. 
I  felt  it  run  through  him.  He  shook  like  a  pony 

170 


The  King  Keeps  His  Appointment 

under  the  spur.  And  you're  wrong,  you  know.  This 
gang  must  be  cleared  out."  He  peered  through  the 
broken  panel.  "  It's  all  over,"  he  added.  "  No 
flowers,  by  request." 

Felix  was  peering  up  at  them  with  his  bright 
crafty  eyes.  "  Queer  thing !  "  he  growled.  "  In 
my  first  honest  fight  I  have  been  on  the  side  of 
tyranny.  If  you  young  gentlemen  will  be  good 
enough  to  remove  the  barricade  and  give  orders  to 
have  the  passage  cleared,  I  can  go  back  to  the  cup 
of  coffee  I  left  in  the  restaurant.  Meanwhile,  Joan 
must  be  taken  to  her  room.  She  is  going  to  faint, 
and  the  Lord  only  knowsi  what  has  become  of  her 
maid!" 

Alec  was  at  Joan's  side  before  Felix  had  made  an 
end.  "  You  will  not  break  down  now,  sweetheart," 
he  cried.  "  All  danger  is  over,  and,  with  God's 
help,  you  will  never  witness  such  a  scene  in  Delgratz 
again !  " 

"  I  feel  tired,"  she  sighed.  "  I  know  quite  well 
I  am  safe,  Alec.  Somehow,  I  hardly  thought  you 
and  I  should  die  to-day.  We  have  things  to  do  in 
the  world,  you  and  I;  but  those  horrid  men  fright- 
ened me  by  their  shrieks.  It  must  be  awful  to  pass 
into  the  unknown — like  that !  " 

She  sighed  again.  To  her  strained  vision  Alec 
suddenly  assumed  the  aspect  of  Henri  Quatre's  gilded 
statue  on  the  Pont  Neuf.  It  did  not  seem  to  be 
in  the  least  remarkable  that  the  statue  should  leap 
from  his  horse  and  take  her  in  his  arms.  She  was 

171 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

absolutely  happy  and  content.     She  felt  she  could 
rest  there  awhile  in  safety. 

So,  when  the  door  was  opened,  the  King  experi- 
enced no  difficulty  in  carrying  Joan  through  a  scene 
of  bloodshed  that  would  certainly  never  have  been 
blotted  from  her  mind  had  she  remained  conscious. 
Stampoff's  commands  had  been  obeyed,  and  the  place 
reeked  of  the  shambles;  but  the  girl  was  happily  as 
heedless  of  its  nightmare  horrors  as  the  thirty-one 
men  who  lay  there  dead  or  dying. 

Alec  bore  her  out  into  the  street.  The  sight  of 
him  was  greeted  by  a  sustained  cheer  from  the  troops 
and  the  loyal  citizens  who  were  now  threatening  a 
riot  of  curiosity  and  alarm,  since  the  news  had  gone 
round  that  the  King  was*  being  done  to  death  by  a 
rebellious  soldiery  in  the  Fiirst  Michaelstrasse,  and 
Delgratz  was  hurrying  to  the  rescue. 

Joan,  revived  a  little  by  the  fresh  air  and  bewil- 
dered by  the  shouting  throng  that  pressed  around  the 
King,  opened  her  eyes.  "  Where  am  I  ?  "  she  whis- 
pered, delightfully  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  she 
was  nestling  in  Alec's  arms  under  the  gaze  of  many 
hundreds  of  his  subjects. 

"  I  am  sending  you  to  my  mother,  dear,"  he  replied. 
"  Felix  and  your  maid  will  be  here  in  a  moment, 
and  they  will  take  you  to  her  in  a  carriage.  You 
cannot  remain  at  the  hotel,  and  you  will  be  well  cared 
for  in  Monsieur  Nesimir's  house." 

"  Are  you  coming,  Alec  ?  "  she  asked,  scanning  his 
face  like  a  timid  child. 

172 


The  King  Keeps  His  Appointment 

"  Soon,  quite  soon." 

"  Then  I  am  content,"  she  said,  and  the  cloud 
descended  again  for  a  brief  space. 

Pauline,  unfortunately,  happened  to  be  in  the 
kitchen  when  the  fray  began.  She  was  nearly  in- 
coherent with  fright;  but  Felix  managed  to  reassure 
her,  and  piloted  her  skilfully  out  of  the  hotel  by 
an  exit  that  concealed  the  gruesome  staircase. 

The  glittering  escort  of  soldiers  surrounding  the 
carriage  pressed  into  the  King's  service  served  to 
complete  the  illusion  insisted  on  by  Poluski,  and 
Pauline  rejoined  her  mistress,  firm  in  the  conviction 
that  the  tumult  was  an  outlandish  Serbian  method 
of  merrymaking. 

Alec,  having  seen  the  carriage  started  on  its  short 
journey,  approached  Stampoff  and  wrung  his  hand. 
"  It  was  a  near  thing,  General,"  he  said.  "  Five 
minutes  later  and  we  should  have  been  in  another 
world." 

He  spoke  in  French,  and  Beaumanoir  heard  him. 

"Not  a  bit  of  it,"  said  he.  "That  anarchist 
johnny  carries  about  with  him  the  finest  assortment 
of  bombs. — By  the  way,  where  is  the  bally  thing? 
I'll  swear  I  put  it  in  my  pocket  when  I  grabbed  that 
joker  through  the  door." 

His  hurried  search  was  not  rewarded,  and  Alec, 
scarcely  understanding  him,  asked  Stampoff  who  had 
given  the  alarm. 

"  Bosko,  of  course.  He  came  tearing  up  to  the 
War.  Office  like  ajnadman.  Had  any  other  brought 

173 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

the  same  message  I  really  should  not  have  believed 
it." 

"  Then  you  heard  nothing  of  a  waiter  from  this 
hotel,  a  waiter  named  Sobieski?  " 

"  Nothing,  your  Majesty.  Bosko  was  undoubt- 
edly the  first  to  arrive  with  the  news,  and  all  was 
quiet  at  the  President's  as  I  rode  past.  I  noted 
that  especially.  By  the  way,  Prince  Michael  is  here ; 
came  this  morning,  I  am  told.  The  Princess  accom- 
panied him.  Does  your  Majesty  intend  going  to 
them  at  once?  I  have  already  sent  an  orderly  to 
announce  your  safety." 

Alec  looked  at  his  watch.  "  Five  minutes  past 
four,"  he  said.  "  No,  General,  I  am  due  at  the 
university.  I  like  to  be  punctual;  but  this  slight 
delay  was  unavoidable.  I  shall  see  you  at  dinner 
to-night,  and  I  suppose  you  will  clear  the  city  of 
these  idiots  of  the  Seventh  Regiment  before  sunset. 
By  the  way,  a  word  before  we  part.  You  saw  the 
lady  whom  I  brought  from  the  hotel  and-  placed  in 
the  carriage?  " 

"  Saw  her,  your  Majesty?  Judas!  Thirty  years 
ago  I  should  have  striven  to  rescue  her  myself." 

"  It  was  she  who  rescued  me,  General,  she  and 
the  little  humpbacked  man.  Exactly  how  they  man- 
aged it  I  do  not  know  as  yet ;  but  to-night  you  shall 
hear  the  whole  story.  At  present,  it  is  enough  that 
you  should  be  told  the  one  really  important  fact.  She 
is  my  promised  wife." 

With  a  smile  and  a  farewell'  hand-wave,  Alec 
174 


The  King  Keeps  His  Appointment 

mounted  a  troop  horse  and  rode  away  with  Beau- 
manoir  in  the  direction  of  the  university. 

Stampoff  looked  after  him  with  an  expression  of 
utmost'  dismay  on  his  weatherbeaten  face.  "  Gods !  " 
he  muttered.  "  A  wife,  and  a  pretty  foreigner  too, 
that  is  a  bird  of  another  color!  What  will  Prince 
and  Princess  Delgrado  say  now,  I  wonder?  What 
will  Kosnovia  say,  when  it  is  in  every  man's  mind 
that  you  should  marry  a  Serb?  And  what  mad 
prank  of  fortune  sent  her  here  to-day  ?  By  thunder ! 
I  thought  things  were  quieting  down  in  Delgratz ; 
but  I  was  wrong — they  are  just  beginning  to  wake 
up!" 


175 


CHAPTER  IX 

MUTTEBINGS    OF    STORM 

BEFORE  Joan's  carriage  had  traveled  a  hundred 
yards  it  was  halted  by  a  loud  command.  An  officer, 
galloping  at  the  head  of  a  detachment  of  cavalry, 
sought  news  of  the  King,  and  an  escorted  vehicle 
coming  from  the  upper  end  of  Fiirst  Michaelstrasse 
promised  developments.  Joan  was  startled  back  into 
consciousness  by  the  sudden  stoppage.  The  excited 
babble  going  on  without  was  incomprehensible  and 
therefore  alarming,  nor  did  the  polite  assurances  of 
the  officer,  as  he  bent  in  the  saddle  and  peered  in 
at  the  window  while  he  aired  his  best  French,  serve 
to  still  this  fresh  tumult  in  her  veins. 

"  What  is  he  saying?  "  she  asked  Felix,  turning 
her  frightened  eyes  from  the  urbane  personage  on 
horseback  to  Poluski's  intent  face. 

"  He  was  sent  to  rescue  the  King,"  was  the  ex- 
planation. "  He  says  the  bodyguard  received  warn- 
ing less  than  two  minutes  ago." 

"  Tell  him  the  King  is  safe  now." 

"  Oh,  he  knows  that  already.  What  puzzled  him 
is  the  fact  that  the  troops  at  the  War  Ministry, 

176 


Mutterings  of  Storm 

which  lies  beyond  the  President's  house,  should  have 
reached  there  before  him." 

"  What  does  it  matter,  since  help  came  in  time  ? 
Please  bid  the  coachman  go  on.  I — I  would  like 
to  be  the  first  to  let  Princess  Delgrado  know  that 
her  son  has  escaped  from  those  horrid  men.  Who 
were  they  ?  Why  should  they  want  to  kill  Alec  ?  " 

Felix  did  not  obey  her  bequest  instantly.  He  ex- 
changed some  hasty  words  with  the  strange  officer, 
who  chanced  to  be  Drakovitch,  and  answered  Joan's 
questions  only  when  the  cab  resumed  its  journey. 
"  Have  you  forgotten  the  part  played  by  the  Seventh 
Regiment  in  the  recent  history  of  Delgratz?"  he 
cried. 

"  I  remember  something  about  them.  Alec  dis- 
banded them.  Oh — they  were  the  soldiers  who  re- 
volted and  murdered  the  late  King  and  Queen." 

"  Exactly.  Do  women  ever  read  the  newspapers 
intelligently,  I  wonder?  You  state  a  most  remark- 
able fact,  considering  that  this  is  Delgratz  and  your 
future  capital,  as  coolly  as  if  it  had  happened  in 
Kamchatka." 

"  But  still  I  do  not  understand  why  they  should 
turn  against  Alec.  I  have  at  least  sufficient  intelli- 
gence to  recall  the  avowed  object  of  their  crime, — 
the  restoration  of  the  Delgrado  line." 

Felix  smiled.  If  Joan  was  able  to  defend  herself, 
she  was  certainly  making  a  rapid  recovery.  "  That 
is  a  mere  hazy  recollection  of  their  afterthought. 
Of  all  despotisms,  save  me  from  a  military  one,  and 

177 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

soldiers  who  slay  Kings  are  the  worst  of  despots. 
If  there  were  no  Kings,  there  would  be  few  soldiers, 
Joan.  Put  that  valuable  truism  away  among  the 
other  wise  saws  that  govern  your  life.  You  will 
appreciate  its  truth,  and  the  even  greater  truth  of 
its  converse,  when  you  are  a  Queen.  But  soldiers 
are  stupid  creatures,  obviously  so,  since  killing  is  no 
argument,  or  the  word  philosopher  would  mean  a  man 
armed  with  a  bludgeon.  If  they  do  away  with  a 
tyrant  and  elect  his  successor,  they  are  apt  to  acquire 
the  habit.  Soldiers  are  meant  to  obey,  not  to  rule, 
and  these  Kosnovian  Kingmakers  were  not  patriots 
but  cutthroats." 

Joan  buried  her  face  in  her  hands.  The  thought 
came  unbidden  that  in  some  inexplicable  way  she 
shared  with  the  infamous  Seventh  Regiment  a  large 
measure  of  responsibility  for  Alec's  dangerous  king- 
ship. 

"  Mademoiselle  is  ill.  Why  trouble  her  with  your 
silly  chatter?  "  demanded  Pauline  angrily. 

"  Eh,  what  the  deuce?  My  name  isn't  Balaam," 
retorted  Felix. 

"  Nor  am  I  a  donkey,  monsieur.  If  it  wasn't 
for  you,  miladi  would  now  be  happy  in  her  little 
apartment  in  the  Place  de  la  Sorbonne.  I  keep 
my  ears  open,  me !  " 

"  I  said  nothing  about  your  ears,  Madame  Pau- 
line," tittered  Felix. 

The  Frenchwoman's  homely  features  reddened, 
and  a  vitriolic  reply  was  only  half  averted  by  the 

178 


Mutterings  of  Storm 

lurching  of  the  carriage  through  a  gateway.  Joan 
looked  out,  and  her  eyes  were  moist. 

"  I  possess  two  good  friends  in  Delgratz,  and  I 
hope  they  will  not  quarrel  on  my  account,"  she  said, 
with  a  piteous  smile  that  silenced  the  woman.  Po- 
luski's  mouth  twisted. 

"  We  are  not  quarreling,  my  belle,"  he  cried. 
"  Pauline  thinks  I  brought  you  here,  whereas  your 
presence  is  clearly  an  act  of  Providence.  Being  a 
modest  person,  I  naturally  protested." 

If  Joan  was  not  utterly  bewildered  by  the  whirligig 
of  events,  and  more  than  ever  unnerved  now  at  the 
near  prospect  of  meeting  Prince  and  Princess  Del- 
grado  in  the  perhaps  unwelcome  guise  of  their  son's 
affianced  wife,  she  would  certainly  have  discovered 
that  Felix  was  saying  the  first  thing  that  came  upper- 
most in  his  mind.  The  outcome  must  have  been  a 
quick  mental  review  of  the  day's  incidents  in  order 
to  hit  upon  the  special  item  he  was  trying  to  conceal, 
though  it  is  probable  that  no  girl  of  Joan's  candid 
nature  would  ever  guess  the  suspicion  rapidly  matur- 
ing to  a  settled  belief  in  the  Pole's  acute  brain. 

For  Captain  Drakovitch,  the  officer  who  led  the 
bodyguard  in  their  belated  ride  to  the  King's  aid, 
had  told  him  that  a  waiter,  John  Sobieski  by  name, 
had  arrived  breathless  at  the  President's  house  many 
minutes  before  the  actual  alarm  was  given.  Sobieski 
had  sobbed  out  some  incoherent  words  about  the 
King,  and  the  Seventh  Regiment ;  but  Prince  Michael, 
who  was  in  the  courtyard,  snapped  up  the  man  im- 

179 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

mediately,  bidding  him  hold  his  tongue,  and  hurrying 
him  inside  the  building.  Once  there,  Sobieski  became 
more  confused  than  ever.  Prince  Michael  obviously 
regarded  him  as  a  crazy  rumor-monger  until  Nesimir 
appeared.  The  latter,  by  reason  of  his  local  knowl- 
edge, instantly  appreciated  the  true  significance  of 
an  attack  on  the  King  in  a  crowded  thoroughfare 
by  a  gang  whom  Sobieski  was  sure  he  had  identified 
correctly. 

Nevertheless,  precious  time  had  been  consumed  by 
the  elder  Delgrado's  interference.  The  President 
acted  with  promptitude;  but  the  outcome  was  clear. 
If  it  had  not  been  for  Bosko,  the  King  must  have 
fallen. 

"  Gods ! "  vowed  Drakovitch  in  his  emphatic  story 
to  Felix,  "  there  were  we  lounging  about  smoking 
cigarettes  while  his  Majesty  was  in  a  fair  way  to 
be  cut  in  pieces !  A  nice  state  of  affairs !  If  some 
one  had  not  warned  Stampoff,  we  might  have  been 
too  late ! " 

"  Better  not  mention  it  in  public,'*  was  Poluski's 
advice.  "  The  mere  notion  of  the  resultant  disaster 
would  make  Prince  Michael  seriously  ill.  Moreover, 
such  things  grow  in  the  telling,  and  the  story  will 
be  traced  back  to  you." 

The  other  had  agreed,  and  Felix  followed  his  own 
counsel  by  withholding  from  Joan  all  knowledge  of 
the  unpleasant  mischance  that  had  nearly  cost  the 
lives  of  the  King  and  his  companions  in  the  besieged 
hotel.  But  his  thoughts  were  busy,  and,  when  he 

180 


Mutterings  of  Storm 

found  Sobieski  detained  in  the  entrance  hall,  he 
consigned  Joan  and  her  maid  to  the  care  of  a  servant, 
briefly  explaining  that  they  were  to  be  taken  to 
Princess  Delgrado,  and  forthwith  questioned  his 
fellow  countryman. 

Sobieski  was  quaking  with  fear.  The  scornful  dis- 
belief expressed  by  Prince  Michael  had  discomfited 
him  at  the  beginning,  and  now  he  was  practically 
under  arrest  until  his  connection  with  the  outrage 
was  investigated  officially.  One  of  Stampoff's  mes- 
sengers had  already  announced  the  King's  safety, 
or  by  this  time  Sobieski  must  have  become  the  lunatic 
Prince  Michael  took  him  to  be. 

"  What  then,  my  friend,  they  did  not  credit  your 
tale,  I  hear?  "  said  Felix  genially,  and  the  sound  of 
his  voice  drove  some  of  the  misery  from  the  waiter's 
pallid  cheeks. 

"  It  was  my  fault,  monsieur.  I  ran  so  fast  that 
I  lost  my  breath  and  the  gentleman  could  not  un- 
derstand me." 

"  Ah,  is  that  it?     Did  you  speak  Polish?  " 

"  No,  no,  monsieur.     I  always  speak  Serbian  here." 

"  And  what  did  you  say?  " 

"  Just  what  you  told  me  to  say, — that  the  King 
was  in  danger  and  that  the  President  was  to  send 
troops  instantly  to  the  Fiirst  Michaelstrasse.  Then 
the  old  gentleman,  he  whom  they  call  Prince  Michael, 
came  up  and  said  he  did  not  believe  a  word  of  it." 

"  Mon  Dieu !     He  understood  you,  it  appears  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  not,  monsieur.  I  made  a  hash  of  it, 
181 


especially  when  I  told  him  Monsieur  Poluski  sent 
me." 

"  Sure  you  mentioned  that?  " 

"  Quite  sure,  monsieur.  It  was  then  he  ordered 
me  inside  the  house.  The  mention  of  your  name 
seemed  to  annoy  him.  For  a  little  while  he  could 
say  nothing  but  '  Poluski,  Poluski !  Is  he  in  it?  '  I 
swore  you  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  plot,  monsieur, 
but  had  acted  throughout  as  the  King's  friend ;  then 
he  stormed  at  me  again,  and  called  me  a  blockhead 
for  coming  to  the  palace  with  such  a  mad  story.  He 
asked  me  what  I  thought  would  have  been  the  con- 
sequence if  the  Princess  heard  me,  and  I  said  I  knew 
nothing  about  any  Princess ;  I  was  only  quite  sure 
the  King  would  be  slain  if  some  one  did  not  hasten 
to  his  rescue." 

"  But  some  one  had  more  sense,  some  one  listened  ?  " 
said  Felix  dryly. 

"  Ah,  yes.  When  the  President  came  down  the 
stairs,  Prince  Michael  went  to  meet  him,  laughing 
all  the  time  at  my  romancing,  as  he  called  it.  But 
I  shouted  out,  being  quite  desperate  then,  and  Mon< 
sieur  Nesimir  heard  me.  Of  course,  by  that  time, 
I  was  in  such  a  state  that  my  knees  shook.  I  was 
certain  the  King  would  be  found  dead,  and  perhaps 
you,  monsieur,  and  then  would  there  be  no  one  to 
prove  that  I  was  not  mixed  up  in  the  affair,  so 
people  would  think  I  ran  to  the  palace  in  order 
to  save  my  own  skin.  I  nearly  dropped  with  fear, 
feeling  that  so  many  minutes  were  being  lost,  and 

182 


Mutterings  of  Storm 

that  made  me  more  nervous  than  ever  when  I  was 
answering  Monsieur  Nesimir's  questions." 

Poluski's  worn  face  exhibited  no  more  emotion  than 
if  he  was  a  graven  image,  but  his  voice  was  symp- 
athetic. "  At  any  rate,  everything  has  ended  hap- 
pily, friend  John,"  said  he.  "  The  King  is  alive, 
you  did  your  duty,  and  you  will  find  him  not  un- 
mindful of  your  services.  By  whose  order  are  you 
detained  here?  " 

The  excited  waiter  began  to  snivel.  "  I  don't 
know,  monsieur.  Pray  intercede  for  me  and  have 
me  set  at  liberty,  or  I  shall  lose  my  situation  if  it 
gets  about  that  I  have  been  arrested.  My  patron 
will  have  nothing  to  do  with  politics.  He  says  his 
business  is  to  sell  beer  and  coffee,  and  all  parties 
are  equally  fond  of  his  goods." 

Felix,  who  was  already  being  eyed  askance  by  the 
presidential  hangers-on  in  the  entrance  lobby,  re- 
turned to  the  courtyard  and  appealed  to  the  officer 
in  charge  of  the  escort.  A  brief  conversation  with 
an  official  elicited  the  fact  that  Sobieski  awaited 
Prince  Michael's  commands. 

"  Then  bring  Prince  Michael  here,"  said  Poluski. 

"  Monsieur !  "  An  astounded  flunky  could  say  no 
more;  but  this  impudent  hunchback  was  in  no  wise 
abashed. 

"  Exactly,  Monsieur  Felix  Poluski  wishes  to  see 
his  Excellency  at  once.  Tell  him  that,  and  it  will 
suffice." 

The  lackey  was  forced  to  yield,  and,  much  to  his' 
183 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

surprise,  Prince  Michael  did  not  hesitate  an  instant 
in  obeying  that  imperative  summons.  An  expres- 
sion of  annoyance  flitted  across  his  florid  features 
when  he  found  Poluski  standing  near  the  trembling 
waiter ;  but  he  tackled  the  situation  with  nonchalance. 

"Have  you  been  here  long,  Felix?"  he  inquired. 
"  No  one  told  me  you  had  arrived.  Your  young  lady 
friend  has  been  taken  to  the  Princess — at  her  own 
request,  I  am  given  to  understand.  Dreadful  busi- 
ness, this  unforeseen  attack  on  my  son,  isn't  it?  I 
must  confess  that  I  didn't  credit  a  word  of  it  when 
this  poor  fellow  rushed  in  with  his  broken  tale.  Ah, 
by  the  way,  I  gave  some  orders  in  my  alarm  that 
may  have  been  misinterpreted."  He  dug  a  hand  into 
a  pocket ;  but  withdrew  it,  empty. 

"His  Majesty  will  see  to  it  that  you  are  suitably 
rewarded,"  he  said  to  Sobieski.  "  Meanwhile,  you 
have  my  hearty  thanks,  and  I  regret  that  any  hasty 
words  of  mine  should  have  caused  you  inconvenience. 
You  can  go  at  once,  of  course." 

Sobieski  made  off,  well  pleased  that  his  stormy 
career  in  the  whirlpool  of  state  affairs  was  ended. 
But  Felix  shook  hands  with  him  and  said  quietly : 

"  I  will  not  forget." 

Prince  Michael  seized  Poluski's  arm  with  a  fine 
assumption  of  dignified  cordiality.  "  So  it  was 
really  you  who  sent  that  stammering  youth  with 
such  an  astounding  message?  Come,  then.  Tell  me 
all  about  it.  Was  Alec  actually  in  peril  ?  " 

He  drew  Felix  up  the  stairs,  out  of  earshot  of 
184 


Mutterings  of  Storm 

the  servants  and  orderlies  in  the  wide  hall.  Felix 
sniffed. 

"  Odd  thing,"  he  grinned.  "  You  are  a  Prince 
and  I  am  an  anarchist,  yet  both  of  us  need  a  nip 
of  brandy  when  we  are  disturbed.  But  I  have  the 
better  of  you  in  one  respect,  my  dear  Michael.  My 
hand  doesn't  shake.  Now,  yours " 

The  clasp  on  his  arm  loosened,  lost  some  of  its 
friendliness,  and  Prince  Delgrado  stood  for  an  instant 
on  the  stairs. 

"  I  tried  to  show  a  calm  front  before  the  others ; 
but  the  predicament  my  son  was  in  found  the  weak 
place  in  my  armor,"  he  said. 

"  My  case  exactly,"  said  Felix.  "  Joan  diagnosed 
the  symptoms,  and  dosed  me  with  cognac.  You,  I 
imagine,  were  your  own  physician." 

"  Ah,  since  you  mention  the  lady,  who  is  she?  " 

"  Joan  ?  A  female  divinity,  one  of  the  few  charm- 
ing women  left  in  the  world." 

"  Admirable !  One  can  associate  those  qualities 
with  residence  in  Paris;  but  in  Delgratz,  Felix,  one 
finds  them  unusual — shall  I  say  out  of  place?  " 

"  If  I  were  you,  Monseigneur,  I  would  learn  to 
regard  her  in  a  totally  different  light.  Joan  ought 
to  be  at  home  here,  because  she  is  your  prospective 
daughter  in  law.!' 

Michael  Delgrado  could  govern  his  nervous  system 
with  some  measure  of  success  when  words  were  the 
only  weapons  that  threatened.  He  did  not  flinch 
now ;  but  threw  open  the  door  of  the  nearest  room  on 

185 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

the  upper  floor.  It  chanced  to  be  the  apartment 
in  which  President  Nesimir  had  received  Alec  and 
Stampoff  on  that  memorable  morning,  barely  a  month 
ago,  when  the  young  King  came  to  Delgratz  to  claim 
his  patrimony.  Neither  man  was  aware  of  the  coin- 
cidence that  led  Michael  to  slam  the  door,  place  his 
back  against  it,  and  gurgle  a  question: 

"  Are  you  jesting,  Felix?  " 

"  Quarter  of  an  hour  ago  I  was  on  the  point 
of  being  introduced  to  a  grim  personage  who  would 
have  squeezed  the  last  joke  out  of  me,"  said  Poluski. 
"  His  name  was  Death,  Pallida  Mors,  who  steps  with 
even  stride  from  the  huts  of  the  poor  to  the  palace 
of  the  King,  and  he  gave  me  such  a  fright  that  I 
shall  be  in  no  mood  all  day  for  any  display  of  hu- 
mor. Why,  man,  don't  you  realize  that  I  have  been 
under  this  roof  fully  five  minutes  without  experienc- 
ing the  slightest  desire  to  sing  ?  " 

"  But,  Felix,  do  be  in  earnest  for  once.  What  is 
this  you  tell  me?  How  can  Alexis  III.  marry  this 
woman,  this  adventuress?" 

Poluski's  big  gray  eyes  narrowed  into  slits,  and 
the  hump  on  his  shoulders  became  more  pronounced 
as  his  head  drooped  forward  a  little ;  but  his  smooth 
tones  did  not  falter,  and  his  uneasy  hearer  thought 
he  found  a  note  of  friendly  commiseration  in  them. 

"  A  hard  word,  Michael,  hard  and  unjust.  Joan 
is  .no  adventuress,"  he  said.  "  We  old  birds  are  too 
ready  to  condemn  a  young  and  pretty  woman  who 
falls  in  love  with  a  King ;  but  in  the  present  instance 

186 


Mutterings  of  Storm 

criticism  is  disarmed,  since  Joan  was  in  love  with 
Alec  when  he  had  no  more  worldly  wealth  than  the 
endowment  of  your  princely  name,  and  when  his 
chance  of  becoming  King  of  Kosnovia  was  as  remote 
as — what  shall  I  say? — well,  as  your  own." 

Michael  came  away  from  the  door  and  stood 
looking  out  at  the  window.  It  afforded  a  partial 
view  of  the  courtyard  and  the  fairly  wide  street 
beyond  the  gate.  "  I  know,  of  course,  that  your 
ideas  and  mine  on  these  subjects  differ  very  greatly," 
he  said  after  a  pause,  and  with  a  perceptible  re- 
turn to  his  grandiose  manner ;  "  but  as  you  say 
rightly,  both  of  us  are  old  enough  to  realize  that 
a  reigning  King  can  marry  none  but  a  Princess 
of  some  royal  house.  Again,  the  King  of  Kosnovia 
must  marry  a  Serb.  There  you  have  two  fixed  prin- 
ciples, so  to  speak,  each  of  which  renders  it  impossi- 
ble for  a  lady  who  rejoices  apparently  in  no  other 
name  than  Joan " 

"  Joan  Vernon,"  put  in  Felix,  producing  a  cigar- 
case,  an  exact  replica  of  that  containing  the  bombs, 
and  selecting  one  of  the  long  thin  cigars  he  favored. 

"  Ah,  certainly.  The  Princess  spoke  to  her  in 
Vienna,  and  ascertained  her  name  then.  Well,  Miss 
Joan  Vernon  cannot,  by  the  very  nature  of  things, 
become  Queen  of  Kosnovia.  It  is  not  that  I  disap- 
prove of  the  notion,  Felix;  it  is  simply  impossible." 

Poluski  struck  a  match  and  began  to  smoke 
furiously.  Delgrado  probably  expected  him  to  say 
something;  but  he  waited  in  vain,  since  Felix  seemed 

187 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

to  be  far  more  perturbed  by  the  suspected  existence 
of  a  hole  in  the  outer  wrapping  of  the  cigar,  and 
futile  efforts  to  close  it  with  the  tip  of  a  finger,  than 
by  the  princely  hinting  at  a  morganatic  marriage. 

Perforce,  Prince  Michael  resumed  the  discussion. 
"  I  am  stating  the  facts  calmly  and  without  preju- 
dice," he  said.  "  I  assume  that  you  are  not  mis- 
leading me  or  that  some  sort  of  lovers'  vows  exists 
between  these  young  people  ?  " 

He  paused  again.  Poluski  was  triumphant.  He 
had  found  the  hole,  applied  the  surgical  method  of 
a  tourniquet  by  pressure,  and  the  cigar  was  drawing 
perfectly. 

"  Having  said  so  much,  Felix,  you  might  be  suf- 
ficiently communicative  in  other  respects,"  growled 
Delgrado,  turning  angrily  from  the  window. 

"  Parbleu!  I  left  you  to  do  the  talking,  Mon- 
seigneur.  This  devil  of  a  cigar  has  been  bored  by 
a  weevil,  and  was  broken  winded  till  I  stopped  the 
leak.  You  were  saying?" 

"  That  Alec  Delgrado  might  have  married  your 
young  friend ;  but  King  Alexis  III.  cannot." 

"  He  will,"  said  Felix,  grinning  complacently. 

"  If  he  does,  it  will  cost  him  his  throne." 

"  Poof !  For  a  man  of  the  world,  Michael,  you 
utter  opinions  that  are  singularly  inept.  I  think 
you  were  driving  just  now  at  the  accepted  theory 
of  royal  alliances?  If  it  holds  good  for  Alec,  it 
affects  you,  his  father.  You  didn't  marry  a  Prin- 
cess, but  happily  secured  a  good,  honest  American 

188 


Mutterings  of  Storm 

lady,  sufficiently  endowed  with  good,  honest  Ameri- 
can dollars  to  keep  you  in  luxury  throughout  your 
useless  life.  If  there  is  some  law  which  says  that 
Alec  cannot  make  Joan  a  Queen,  the  same  law  would 
prevent  him  from  being  a  King.  But  it  doesn't. 
King  he  is,  and  King  he  will  remain  as  long  as  it 
pleases  God  to  keep  him  in  good  health  and  save  him 
from  the  miserable  rascals  who  tried  to  assassinate 
him  to-day — and  their  like.  What  you  want, 
Michael,  is  a  friend  who  is  not  afraid  to  warn  you. 
Now,  for  the  hour,  kindly  regard  me  as  filling  that 
useful  capacity.  After  twenty-five  years  of  ex- 
travagance you  have  managed,  I  suppose,  to  exhaust 
your  excellent  wife's  fortune.  You  came  to  Delgratz 
this  morning  for  the  express  purpose  of  drawing  fresh 
supplies  from  the  Kosnovian  treasury.  Well,  you 
haven't  met  your  son  yet;  but  when  you  suggest 
that  he  should  begin  to  impoverish  his  people  to 
maintain  you  in  idle  pomp  in  Paris,  I  fancy  you  will 
find  him  adamant.  That  is  not  his  theory  of  govern- 
ing. If  it  was,  he  would  neither  marry  Joan  nor  be 
alive  at  this  moment,  since  Heaven  saw  fit  to  intrust 
me  with  the  control  of  both  his  bride  and  his  life. 

"  One  thing  more  I  have  to  say,  Michael,  and  then 
I  have  finished,  unless  you  press  me  too  hardly.  Let 
us  suppose  Alec  had  fallen  in  to-day's  attempt. 
Whom  do  you  think  would  succeed  him  ?  Michael  V. 
Not  for  five  minutes !  You  know  now,  and  I  have 
known  all  along,  that  the  real  instigator  of  the 
May  outbreak  was  Julius  Marulitch  and  his  Greek 

189 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

bear  leader,  Constantine  Beliani.  You  were  in- 
spired, Michael,  when  you  resigned  your  claims  in 
favor  of  your  -son.  Those  two  meant  to  put  you 
forward  as  their  puppet  and  shove  you  to  the  wall 
as  soon  as  the  Delgrado  line  was  restored  and  they 
were  able  to  pull  the  strings  here  in  safety.  They 
never  dreamed  that  Alec,  the  careless,  happy-go- 
lucky  boy,  the  polo  player  and  haunter  of  studios, 
would  prove  a  stumbling  block  in  the  path  of  royal 
progress.  You  were  a  mere  pawn,  Michael.  They 
counted  on  pushing  you  out  of  the  way  as  easily 
as  if  you  were  a  baby  in  a  perambulator.  What 
was  true  a  month  ago  is  more  true  now.  Go  down  on 
your  knees  and  thank  Heaven  that  it  saw  fit  to 
preserve  your  son's  life  this  afternoon;  for  his  life 
alone  stands  between  you  and  the  abyss  t 

"  Now,  I  have  spoken,  and — name  of  a  good  little 
gray  man ! — you  don't  seem  to  like  the  hearing.  But 
do  not  forget  what  I  have  said,  Michael.  I  have 
poured  forth  a  stream  of  golden  words.  It  will 
be  well  for  you  if  you  are  never  called  on  to  apply 
other  test  to  their  value  than  your  own  judgment; 
for  as  sure  as  the  day  dawns  that  you  dream  of 
reigning  in  Delgratz,  so  surely  will  you  dig  your 
own  grave  with  a  shovel  lent  by  the  devil." 

Poluski  ceased,  and  apparently  expected  no  answer. 
He,  too,  went  to  a  window  and  gazed  out  at  the 
sunlit  vista  of  graveled  courtyard  and  yellow 
buildings. 

Already  there  were  long  patches  of  shade;  for  the 
190 


Mutterings  of  Storm 

day  was  closing.  A  foot  regiment  marched  past  the 
palace  gates,  and  Prince  Michael  might  have  re- 
membered that  in  Delgratz  a  sentry  with  a  loaded 
rifle  guards  each  street  after  sunset.  But  his  bloated 
face  was  curiously  haggard,  and  his  prominent  eyes 
looked  at  the  soldiers  with  the  unconscious  aspect  of 
a  man  whose  castle  in  Spain  had  suddenly  proved  it- 
self the  most  deceptive  of  mirages.  Perhaps,  for  a 
brief  space,  he  saw  himself  as  Felix  saw  him,  and  a 
species  of  horror  may  have  fallen  on  him  at  the  mere 
conceit  that  another  man  was  able  to  peep  into 
his  heart  and  surprise  there  the  foul  notion  that  had 
seized  him  when  John  Sobieski  brought  the  tidings  of 
his  son's  desperate  plight. 

Be  that  as  it  may,  Prince  Michael  Delgrado  offered 
no  reply  to  the  decrepit,  poverty  stricken  artist  who 
had  dared  to  unmask  him  in  such  exceedingly  plain 
terms.  Not  a  word  passed  between  them  during 
many  minutes.  The  shuffling  tramp  and  dust  of  the 
regiment  died  away,  and  the  thoroughfare  beyond 
the  gates  had  resumed  its  normal  condition  when 
a  new  animation  was  given  to  the  courtyard  by  a 
loud  order  and  the  hurried  assembly  of  the  guard. 

"  Good !  "  said  Felix  contentedly.  "  Here  comes 
the  King!  Your  Excellency  will  now  receive  con- 
firmation of  some  of  my  statements.  As  for  the 
rest,  if  I  am  proved  right  in  some  respects,  it  will 
be  a  first  rate  idea  to  accept  the  remainder  without 
proof." 

Delgrado  shot  a  baleful  glance  at  the  hunchback; 
191 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

but  ignored  his  comment.  "  If  it  is  not  indiscreet 
of  a  parent  to  betray  some  interest  in  a  son's  pros- 
pective happiness,  may  I  venture  again  to  inquire 
who  Miss  Joan  Vernon  is  ?  " 

"  I  think  I  answered  you." 

"  In  general  terms.  Feminine  divinity  and  charm 
should  be  the  characteristics  of  all  brides;  but  these 
delectable  beings  do  not  enter  the  world  fully  formed, 
like  Venus  Aphrodite  newly  risen  from  the  sea  of 
Cyprus." 

"  Oh,  to  me  it  suffices  that  she  exists,  and  is  Joan. 
I  have  known  her  a  whole  year,  during  her  student 
life  in  Paris,  in  fact.  Your  simile  was  well  chosen, 
Monseigneur.  Aphrodite  came  with  the  spring,  and 
so  came  Joan." 

"And  before  Paris?" 

"  The  New  England  section  of  America,  I  believe. 
Her  mother  died  when  Joan  was  a  child;  her  father 
was  in  the  navy  and  was  drowned." 

"  An  artist,  you  say  ?  " 

"  Artistic  would  be  the  better  description.  She 
is  too  rich  ever  to  paint  well." 

"Rich!" 

"  As  artists  go.  She  has  an  income  of  two  hundred 
pounds  a  year." 

"Ah,  bah!" 

"  Don't  be  so  contemptuous  of  five  thousand  francs. 
They  go  a  long  way — with  care.  I  believe  that  my 
dear  Joan  spends  all  her  money  on  dress,  and  keeps 
soup  in  the  pot  by  copying  pictures.  But  she  will 

192 


Mutterings  of  Storm 

make  a  lovely  Queen.  Saperlotte!  I  must  paint  her 
in  purple  and  ermine." 

Yielding  to  the  spell  of  the  vision  thus  conjurecl  up, 
Felix  forgot  his  racked  nerves  and  sang  lustily  a 
stanza  from  "  Masaniello."  Prince  Michael  flung  out 
of  the  room  to  meet  his  son ;  but  the  strains  followed 
him  down  the  stairs. 

Yet  Poluski  was  thinking  while  he  sang,  and  the 
burden  of  his  thought  was  that  this  anxious  father 
had  asked  him  no  word  as  to  the  scene  in  that  bullet 
swept  room,  nor  the  means  whereby  Alec  and  his 
friends  were  snatched  from  death. 

Very  different  was  the  meeting  between  Joan  and 
Princess  Delgrado.  The  panic  stricken  mother, 
scarce  crediting  the  assurance  given  her  by  the 
President's  family  that  there  were  no  grounds  for 
the  disquieting  rumors  that  arose  from  Sobieski's 
appeal  for  help,  was  in  an  agony  of  dread  when  the 
first  undoubted  version  of  the  true  occurrence  was 
brought  by  Stampoff's  courier. 

The  arrival  of  Joan,  of  one  who  had  actually  been 
in  her  son's  company  until  the  danger  was  passed, 
though  helping  to  dispel  her  terror,  aroused  a  con- 
suming desire  to  learn  exactly  what  had  happened. 
Joan,  of  course,  could  only  describe  the  siege  and 
their  state  of  suspense  until  the  soldiers  cleared  the 
street  of  the  would-be  assassins.  As  to  the  motive  of 
the  outrage  or  the  manner  in  which  it  reached  its 
sudden  crisis,  she  had  no  more  knowledge  than  the 
Princess,  and  a  quite  natural  question  occurred  to 

193 


A.  Son  of  the  Immortals 

the  older  woman  when  Joan  told  how  Felix  Poluski 
had  startled  the  King  and  herself  by  his  warning 
cry. 

"  My  son  had  gone  to  visit  you,  then  ?  "  she  said, 
not  without  a  shadow  of  resentment  at  the  fact  that 
he  had  discovered  this  girl's  whereabouts  readily 
enough,  though  seemingly  there  was  none  to  tell 
him  that  his  father  and  mother  were  in  the  city  and 
longing  to  see  him. 

Joan  flushed  at  the  words ;  but  her  answer  car- 
ried conviction.  "  I  do  not  yet  understand  just 
how  or  when  Felix  discovered  that  the  King's  life 
was  threatened,"  she  said ;  "  but  there  can  be  no 
doubt  it  was  a  ruse  on  his  part  to  distract  the  at- 
tention of  the  mob  when  he  told  his  Majesty  that 
I  was  in  the  hotel. — I  chanced  to  be  looking  out — 
and  I  was  very  angry  with  Felix  when  I  saw  that  he 
had  stopped  the  King  and  was  evidently  informing 
him  of  my  presence." 

"  Then  my  son  did  not  know  you  were  in  Del- 
gratz?  " 

"  He  had  no  notion  I  was  any  nearer  than  Paris." 

"  What  an  amazing  chapter  of  accidents  that 
you  should  be  in  Delgratz  to-day,  and,  under 
Providence,  become  the  means  of  saving  Alec's  life; 
for  it  is  quite  clear  to  me  now  that  had  he  gone 
a  few  yards  farther  he  would  have  been  shot  down 
without  mercy ! " 

Joan  colored  even  more  deeply.  Her  pride  de- 
manded that  she  should  no  longer  sail  under  a  false 

194 


Mutterings  of  Storm 

flag,  yet  it  was  a  seeming  breach  of  maidenly  reserve 
that  she  should  announce  her  own  betrothal.  It 
would  have  come  easier  if  she  could  claim  more 'con- 
sideration from  this  kind  faced,  pleasant  voiced 
woman  than  was  warranted  by  the  casual  acquaint- 
ance of  a  railway  journey.  But  Alec  had  sent  her 
to  his  mother,  and  Joan's  nature  would  not  permit 
her  to  carry  on  the  deception,  though  it  might  be 
capable  of  the  most  plausible  explanation  afterward. 

"  I  feel  I  ought  to  tell  you,"  she  said,  and  the 
blood  suddenly  ebbed  away  from  her  face  to  her 
throbbing  heart.  "  Alec  and  I  were  friends  in  Paris. 
We  were  fond  of  each  other ;  but  gave  not  much  heed 
to  it,  since  I  was  poor  and  he  told  me  he  had  his  way 
to  make  in  the  world.  He  wrote  to  me  a  few  days 
ago,  asking  me  to  marry  him.  I  did  not  know  what 
to  say,  when  chance  threw  in  my  way  a  commission 
to  copy  a  picture  in  this  very  city.  Put  in  such 
words,  it  all  sounds  very  mad  and  unconvincing ;  but 
it  is  true,  and  it  is  equally  true  that  I  should  never 
have  acknowledged  to-day  that  I  returned  his  love  if 
— if  I  did  not  think — for  a  few  awful  minutes — that 
we  should  both  be  killed.  And — and — I  wanted  to 
die  in  his  arms  !  " 

Joan  began  to  cry,  and  Princess  Delgrado  cried 
too,  and  it  was  in  tears  that  King  Alexis  III.  found 
them  when  he  had  returned  Prince  Michael's  stately 
greeting  and  was  told  that  the  young  American 
lady  who  !had  come  from  the  shattered  hotel  was  in 
his  mother's  room. 

195 


CHAPTER  X 

WHEREIN  THE  SHADOWS  DEEPEN 

JOAN  was  standing  on  the  first  floor  veranda  of 
the  President's  house  early  next  morning,  when  her 
errant  thoughts  were  brought  back  to  earth  from 
wonderland  by  a  stir  and  clatter  of  hoofs  in  the 
courtyard.  She  knew,  because  Alec  had  told  her 
the  previous  evening,  that  he  was  bound  for  an 
experimental  farm  certain  local  magnates  had  es- 
tablished in  the  rich  alluvial  plain  that  forms  the 
right  bank  of  the  Danube  some  few  miles  from  the 
capital  city. 

"  At  present  our  country  exports  pigs  and  little 
else,"  he  had  said.  "  I  mean  to  change  all  that. 
Austria  shuts  and  bolts  her  doors  by  hostile  tariffs ; 
but  Turkey  is  open  to  trade  with  all  the  world,  and 
who  so  favorably  situated  as  we,  once  the  barriers 
of  race  prejudice  are  broken  down?  So,  behold  in 
me  a  patron  of  agriculture  and  its  allied  arts !  " 

"  The  Turk  is  our  hereditary  enemy,"  snarled 
Prince  Michael,  who  was  much  annoyed  by  the  poor 
quality  of  the  wine  at  the  royal  repast.  "  Fancy  me 
drinking  Carlowitz  at  my  age ! "  he  had  growled  to 

196 


Wherein  the  Shadows  Deepen 

Stampoff  when  he  discovered  that  champagne  was 
not  supplied,  by  the  King's  order. 

"  My  dear  Dad,  I  am  trying  hard  to  erase  that 
word  *  hereditary '  from  the  Serbian  language," 
laughed  Alec.  "  It  opposes  me  at  every  turn ;  it 
mocks  at  my  best  efforts;  it  swathes  me  like  the 
bandages  of  a  mummy, — and  I  am  growing  weary 
of  its  restraint.  This  is  a  question  of  self  interest, 
too.  Perhaps,  if  I  can  persuade  our  good  Kosnovians 
to  adopt  some  more  up-to-date  fetish,  they  may  drop 
the  hereditary  habit  of  carving  their  chosen  rulers 
into  mincemeat  whenever  a  change  of  Government 
seems  good  to  them." 

"  The  King  of  Kosnovia  should  never  forget  that 
the  time  may  come  when  he  will  be  crowned  Em- 
peror at  Constantinople,"  said  Prince  Michael  with 
a  regal  flourish  of  his  plump  hand. 

"  Precisely.  The  ceremony  should  provide  a 
picturesque  spectacle  for  the  cinematograph.  Mean- 
while, I  want  to  enter  the  enemy's  territory,  and  at 
present  my  skirmishers  are  pigs  which  are  difficult  to 
drive.  We  need  stronger  forces,  such  as  hardware, 
agricultural  implements,  horses,  cereals,  even  textile 
manufactures." 

"  In  sending  your  pigs,  I  hope  you  also  get  rid  of 
your  bores,  Alec,"  put  in  Felix,  and  Nesimir,  who 
knew  no  English,  wondered  why  so  many  of  his  guests 
laughed. 

As  for  the  elder  Delgrado,  he  sulked  until  the 
President  produced  a  bottle  of  imperial  tokay,  a 

197 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

luxury  which  the  stout  Sergius  explained  away  by 
the  statement  that  his  house  had  never  before  been 
honored  by  so  distinguished  and  brilliant  a  company. 

So  Joan  was  prepared  for  her  lover's  departure 
from  Delgratz  soon  after  daybreak.  The  heat  of 
the  noon  hours  was  so  excessive  that  early  rising  be- 
came more  of  a  necessity  than  a  virtue;  hence  her 
appearance  on  the  veranda. 

Alec  had  definitely  promised  his  mother  before  re- 
tiring to  rest  that  he  would  not  dispense  with  an 
escort  until  the  city  was  thoroughly  quieted  down 
after  the  day's  excitement.  The  troopers  paraded  at 
six  o'clock,  and  he  did  not  keep  them  waiting  a 
minute.  Joan,  delighting  in  the  military  display, 
watched  him  mount  and  ride  off  with  that  half- 
maternal  solicitude  which  is  the  true  expression  of  a 
woman's  love.  She  hoped  he  would  look  up  ere  he 
quitted  the  courtyard — and  she  must  have  tele- 
graphed her  wish;  for  Alec  at  once  turned  in  the 
saddle,  almost  as  though  some  one  had  told  him  she 
was  there. 

He  waved  a  hand  in  gay  greeting,  and  it  would 
appear  that  a  whim  seized  him  at  the  sight  of  her, 
since  he  gave  some  instructions  to  an  aid  de  camp, 
•who  came  clanking  back  to  the  porch,  dismounted, 
and  entered  the  building. 

Soon  the  officer  was  bowing  low  to  Joan.  "  The 
King  presents  his  compliments,  Excellency,"  he  said 
in  careful  French,  "  and  wishes  to  know  if  you  will 
accompany  him  for  an  hour's  ride  before  sunset." 

198 


Joan  laughed  at  Alec's  masterful  methods 


Pace  109 


Wherein  the  Shadows  Deepen 

"Please  convey  my  regrets  to  his  Majesty;  but 
I  do  not  possess  a  riding  habit,"  said  Joan. 

"  The  King  told  me  to  say  that  if  your  Excellency 
offers  no  objection,  a  habit  will  be  brought  to  the 
palace  at  four  o'clock." 

Joan  laughed  whole  heartedly ;  for  Alec's  master- 
ful methods  came  as  a  distinct  surprise.  Yet,  die- 
spite  her  independent  spirit,  she  rejoiced  in  his  dom- 
inance. 

"  Tell  his  Majesty  that  I  have  the  utmost  confi- 
dence in  hisi  judgment,"  she  said,  and  her  face  was 
still  rippling  with  merriment  at  the  hidden  meaning 
Alec  would  surely  extract  from  her  message  when 
Lord  Adalbert  Beaumanoir  joined  her. 

"  Ah,  that  is  better,  Miss  Vernon,"  he  cried. 
"  Glad  to  find  you  in  good  spirits, — '  Hail,  smiling 
morn,'  and  that  sort  of  thing,  eh,  what?  " 

"  Why  are  you  deserting  Alec — the  King — to- 
day ? "  she  asked.  "  I  thought  you  two  were  in- 
separable. And  please  enlighten  me,  Lord  Adalbert, 
as  to  the  correct  way  of  alluding  to  royalty.  Alec 
is  every  inch  a  King,  of  course ;  but  I  find  my  tongue 
tripping  every  time  I  use  his  title." 

Beaumanoir  seemed  to  weigh  the  point.  "  You 
are  experiencing  the  same  difficulty  as  the  sailor 
who  acted  as  billiard  marker  in  the  naval  mess  at 
Portsmouth,"  he  said.  "  One  evening  the  Prince  of 
Wales  came  in  to  play  pool,  and  Jack  whispered  to 
the  mess  president,  '  Beg  pardon,  sir,  but  am  I  to 
call  'im  Yer  R'yal  'Ighness  or  Spot  Yaller? ' " 

199 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

Joan  shrieked  at  that,  and  the  sound  of  her  mirth 
brought  Princess  Delgrado  to  them. 

"  You  are  cheerful  this  morning,  Joan,"  she  said. 

Her  ready  use  of  the  girl's  Christian  name  would 
have  told  Felix,  if  he  had  been  present,  that  Alec's 
mother  did  not  by  any  means  share  her  husband's 
views  as  to  the  impossibility  of  a  marriage  between 
her  son  and  this  bright  faced  American.  At  any 
rate,  Joan's  cheeks  glowed,  and  there  was  more  than 
convention  in  the  kiss  the  two  women  exchanged, 
each  moved,  as  it  were,  by  a  spontaneous  liking  for 
the  other. 

"  It  is  impossible  to  be  other  than  cheerful  in 
Lord  Adalbert's  company,"  said  Joan.  "  Even  yes- 
terday, when  bullets  were  showering  in  through  the 
windows  of  that  wretched  hotel,  he  made  game  of 
them." 

"  So  I  did, — shouted  '  Mark  cock '  when  the  first 
low  one  flew  across.  By  gad !  that's  rather  clever 
of  you,  Miss  Vernon,"  he  grinned. 

"  I  don't  know  how  either  of  you  can  find  it  in 
your  heart  to  jest  about  that  dreadful  adventure," 
said  the  Princess.  "  I  lay  awake  for  hours  last  night 
thinking  of  what  might  have  happened  if  that  man 
Bosko  had  not  managed  to  get  away  and  warn 
General  Stampoff." 

"  By  the  way,  what  became  of  the  waiter  Felix 
sent  here  from  the  hotel  ?  "  mused  Joan  aloud.  "  I 
forgot  to  ask  him.  Surely  the  man  came  and  spoke 
to  some  one?  " 

200 


Wherein  the  Shadows  Deepen 

"  Oh,  yes,  Prince  Michael  met  him  and  questioned 
him.  Then  Monsieur  Nesimir  took  him  in  hand; 
but  long  before  either  of  them  could  make  up  their 
minds  that  he  was  speaking  the  truth  Bosko  was 
clear  of  the  mob  and  Stampoff  was  bringing  his 
hussars  from  the  War  Ministry." 

The  Princess  spoke  hurriedly,  and  the  younger 
people  were  quick  to  perceive  a  slight  restraint  in 
her  words.  It  was  quite  natural.  A  mother,  weigh- 
ing the  actions  of  others  in  a  matter  touching  the 
safety  of  her  son,  would  hardly  make  allowance  for 
the  incredulity  such  a  messenger  as  Sobieski  would 
inspire,  and  Beaumanoir  tactfully  led  the  talk  to  a 
less  serious  topic. 

"  You  charged  me,  a  little  while  ago,  Miss  Vernon, 
with  deserting  our  sovereign  lord  the  King,  whereas 
the  exact  opposite  is  true,"  he  said.  "  I  am  here 
on  duty.  '  Berty,'  said  my  liege,  '  stop  at  home  to- 
day and  amuse  my  mother  and  Joan,'  his  very  words. 
Am  I  amusing  you  ?  No !  Then  I  must  go  and  find 
that  funny  little  Pole  and  beseech  him  to  tell  us  his 
best  before  breakfast  story.  Gad!  He  has  some 
rippin'  after  dinner  ones.  He  had  us  all  roaring 
last  night,  and  the  funniest  thing  was  to  hear  him 
spinning  the  same  yarn  in  the  local  lingo,  so  that 
Nesimir  and  the  other  Serbs  could  share  in  the  festiv- 
ities. Prince  Michael  and  Alec  had  the  pull  of  me 
there,  because  they  could  laugh  twice.  By  the  way, 
Princess,  Monsieur  Poluski  was  well  acquainted  with 
your  husband  a  good  many  years  ago.  They  first 

201 


met  in  New  York,  it  seems.  Poluski  coolly  informed 
us  that  he  was  obliged  to  leave  Warsaw  about  that 
time  because/  he  had  invented  a  new  explosive  specially 
adapted  for  removing  crowned  heads.  Fancy  him 
saying  that  when  a  real  live  King  was  sitting  next 
to  him." 

"  Alec  is  very  fond  of  Felix,"  said  Joan.  "  He 
knows  quite  well  that  our  friend  talks  about  things 
he  has  never  done  and  never  means  to  do.  Why, 
Felix  is  the  most  tender  hearted  man  living.  His 
generosity  is  proverbial,  and  he  would  give  away  the 
last  franc  in  his  pocket  if  a  starving  woman  begged 
of  him.  His  anarchist  notions  are  all  nonsense.  He 
has  cared  little  about  political  affairs  during  the  last 
ten  years,  and  his  only  real  happiness  now  is  to 
paint  the  portrait  of  a  pretty  woman  and  sing  at 
his  work.  If  it  was  not  for  the  belief  that  he  is  mixed 
up  with  dynamitards  and  other  weird  creatures,  he 
would  be  one  of  the  best  known  artists  in  Paris." 

Beaumanoir  called  to  mind  the  quiet  confidence  in 
Poluski's  voice  when  describing  the  potency  of  that 
curious  cigar-shaped  bomb  which  so  narrowly  escaped 
being  hurled  at  the  mutineers  during  the  fight. 

"  There  is  a  lot  more  in  Poluski's  make-up  than 
one  would  give  him  credit  for  at  a  glance,"  said  he. 

"  I  understand  he  was  really  a  firebrand  in  his 
youth,"  remarked  the  Princess.  "  My  husband  and 
he  disagreed  so  strongly  at  one  period  that  their 
acquaintance  ceased  during  many  years.  Indeed,  I 
met  him  yesterday  practically  for  the  first  time." 

202 


Wherein  the  Shadows  Deepen 

She  sighed.  Joan  realized  that  Princess  Delgrado 
was  perplexed  to  find  her  son  with  so  many  new 
interests  in  life,  interests  of  which  she  had  no  cogni- 
zance. He  might  have  dwelt  in  some  city  a  thousand 
miles  removed  from  Paris,  for  all  she  knew  of  his 
associates  or  habits,  and  this  one  fact  was  eloquent 
of  the  gulf  that  yawned  between  his  home  and  his 
pursuits. 

After  breakfast,  Joan  insisted  on  beginning  work 
in  the  Cathedral.  Felix  and  Beaumanoir  accompa- 
nied her  there  in  a  closed  carriage,  and  the  cool 
interior  of  the  heavy,  ugly  structure  was  not  un- 
grateful in  the  midday  heat. 

At  four  o'clock  Joan  was  ready  to  don  a  riding- 
habit  that  fitted  marvelously  well  considering  that 
the  maker  had  never  set  eyes  on  the  wearer  till  he 
brought  the  costume  to  the  palace.  At  five  she  and 
Alec  and  Beaumanoir  went  for  a  ride  on  the  outskirts 
of  the  town.  The  men  took  her  to  a  very  fine  turfed 
avenue  that  wound  through  three  miles  of  woodland. 
At  the  close  of  a  glorious  canter  a  turn  in  the  path 
revealed  a  rather  pretty  chateau  situated  on  a  gentle 
slope  of  lawns  and  gardens  rising  from  the  northern 
shore  of  a  large  lake. 

"  Do  you  like  it  ?  "  asked  Alec. 

"  It  is  a  perfectly  charming  place,"  she  said  en- 
thusiastically. 

"  I  am  glad  you  think  so,"  said  he.  "  It  is  called 
the  New  Konak,  in  contradistinction  to  the  old  one, 
the  Schwarzburg.  It  will  be  our  summer  residence. 

203 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

I  propose  to  occupy  it  as  soon  as  it  is  •properly  fur- 
nished." 

He  spoke  lightly ;  but  a  quiet  glance  conveyed  far 
more  than  the  words.  This,  then,  was  their  destined 
nest,  their  very  own  house,  and  for  their  first  ramble 
he  had  brought  her  there.  Its  seclusion  gave  a  sense 
of  secure  peace  that  was  absent  from  the  President's 
gloomy  palace.  The  lovely  park  and  its  belt  of 
forest  shut  out  the  noise  and  glare  of  the  streets. 
Joan  sat  on  her  horse  and  surveyed  the  scene  with 
glistening  eyes.  Her  future  home  lay  there,  and  the 
belief  thrilled  her  strangely.  If  she  could  have  peered 
into  the  future,  how  much  more  deeply  would  she 
have  been  stirred;  for  if  ever  she  was  fated  to  be 
happy  in  the  companionship  of  the  gallant  youth 
by  her  side,  assuredly  that  happiness  was  not  so 
near  or  so  easily  attained  as  it  seemed  to  be  in  that 
sylvan  hour. 

Beaumanoir  broke  in  on  her  reverie  in  his  usual 
happy-go-lucky  style.  "  Not  a  bad  looking  crib,  is 
it,  Miss  Joan  ?  "  said  he.  "  I  have  promised  Alec  to 
remain  in  Delgratz  until  you  are  all  settled  down  in 
it,  nice  and  comfy.  Then  I  wend  my  lonely  way 
back  to  Paris.  By  Jove!  I  shall  be  something 
of  a  hero  there — shine  with  reflected  glory — eh, 
what?  " 

"  I  can't  spare  you  for  many  a  day  yet,  Berty," 
said  Alec.  "  You  can  hardly  realize  how  good  he  has 
been,  Joan,"  he  continued.  "  I  had  a  fearfully  hard 
time  during  the  first  week.  More  than  once  I  wanted 

204 


Wherein  the  Shadows  Deepen 

to  cut  and  run;  but  he  kept  me  to  it,  chaffing  me 
out  of  the  dumps  when  everything  seemed  to  be  going 
wrong." 

Beaumanoir  winked  brazenly  at  her.  "  He  talks 
that  way  now,"  he  grinned.  "  It's  the  kingly  habit, 
I  understand.  Alec  has  got  it  down  to  a  fine  point. 
Make  every  fellow  believe  that  he  is  It,  and  there 
you  are,  you  know." 

There  was  some  substratum  of  sense  in  Beau- 
manoir's  chaffing.  Alec  was  taking  his  kingship  very 
seriously,  and  Joan  was  hard  pressed  to  bridge  the 
gulf  that  lay  between  Paris  and  Delgratz. 

At  first  she  found  it  almost  impossible  to  realize 
that  Alec  had  been  in  harness  little  more  than  a 
month.  His  talk  was  replete  with  local  knowledge; 
he  seemed  to  understand  the  people  and  their  ways 
so  thoroughly.  He  was  versed  even  in  the  peculiari- 
ties of  their  methods  of  tillage,  was  able  to  explain 
distinctions  of  costume  and  racial  appearance,  and 
might  have  spent  his  life  in  studying  all  their  customs 
and  folklore. 

Fortunately,  Joan  herself  was  gifted  with  quick 
perception  and  a  retentive  memory.  After  a  few 
days'  residence  in  the  White  City  she  began  to  assim- 
ilate the  rills  of  information  that  trickled  in  upon 
her  from  so  many  sources,  and  the  feeling  of  be- 
wildered surprise  with  which  she  regarded  her  lover's 
attainments  during  the  first  hours  of  real  intimacy 
was  soon  replaced  by  an  active  sympathy  and  fuller 
understanding.  She  was  helped  in  this  by  the  King's 

205 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

mother,  since  there  could  be  no  doubt  that  Princess 
Delgrado  took  her  absolutely  to  her  heart. 

Prince  Michael,  who  was  completely  eclipsed  not 
only  by  his  son's  extraordinary  versatility  in  all 
public  affairs  but  by  lack  of  that  opulent  setting  for 
his  peculiar  qualities  which  Paris  alone  could  supply, 
seemed  to  accept  the  inevitable.  He  tolerated  Joan, 
openly  praised  her  beauty,  and  became  resigned  in 
a  more  or  less  patronizing  way  to  the  minor  dis- 
tractions of  local  life. 

Felix  and  Joan  gave  up  their  mornings  to  art. 
The  Pole  discovered  some  quaint  old  frescoes  in  the 
cathedral  which  attracted  him  by  their  remarkable 
freedom  of  design  and  simplicity  of  color.  He 
valiantly  essayed  their  reproduction;  but  Joan  sus- 
pected in  her  deepest  heart  that  Poluski's  sudden 
conversion  to  Byzantine  ideals  was  due  far  more  to 
the  fact  that  the  lofty  dome  of  the  building  produced 
musical  effects  of  the  most  gratifying  nature  than 
to  any  real  appreciation  of  the  quaint  contours  and 
glaring  tints  of  a  series  of  wall  pictures  that  set 
forth  some  long  forgotten  Bulgar  artist's  conception 
of  the  life  and  history  of  John  the  Baptist. 

There  was  naturally  a  good  deal  of  inquiry  and 
speculation  as  to  the  identity  of  the  unknown  con- 
noisseur who  had  commissioned  Joan  to  copy  the 
Saint  Peter.  Felix  resolutely  declined  to  satisfy  any 
one's  questioning  on  that  topic.  He  had  given  his 
word,  he  said,  not  to  betray  the  confidence  reposed 
in  him;  but  he  allayed  Alec's  professed  jealousy  by 

206 


Wherein  the  Shadows  Deepen 

declaring  that  to  the  best  of  his  knowledge  the  man 
who  had  sent  Joan  on  this  mysterious  quest  had 
never  even  seen  her.  Still,  it  was  impossible  to  avoid 
a  certain  amount  of  interested  speculation  among 
members  of  the  small  circle  which  was  aware  of  the 
reason  that  lay  behind  Joan's  visit  to  Delgratz. 
Both  Alec  and  Joan  believed  that  Count  Julius  Maru- 
litch  was  in  some  way  responsible,  and  their  chief 
difficulty  was  to  analyze  the  motive  of  such  unlooked- 
for  generosity  on  his  part. 

The  slight  mystery  underlying  the  incident  was 
not  cleared  up  until  Beliani  reached  the  capital  two 
or  three  days  after  Julius  himself.  The  latter  cleared 
the  air  by  expressing  his  unbounded  amazement  at 
finding  his  cousin  engaged  to  a  young  American 
woman  of  whose  existence  he  had  not  even  heard 
before  he  was  introduced  to  her.  Under  the  con- 
ditions it  seemed  to  savor  of  the  ridiculous  to  ask 
if  he  was  the  hidden  agent  in  the  matter  of  the 
picture.  But  Beliani  was  candor  itself;  not  for  a 
moment  did  he  endeavor  to  conceal  his  responsibility. 
When  Alec  welcomed  him  on  the  evening  of  his  arrival, 
he  drew  the  King  aside  and  said,  with  all  the  friendli- 
ness of  one  apparently  devoted  to  the  Kosnovian 
cause : 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  that  my  little  scheme  has  worked 
well.  Of  course  you  guessed  who  it  was  that  de- 
spatched Miss  Vernon  from  Paris  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Alec,  scanning  the  Greek's  smiling 
yet  subtle  face  with  those  frank  eyes  of  his  that 

207 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

had  so  quickly  learned  the  secret  of  looking  beneath 
the  veneer  of  men's  words  to  discover  their  motives. 
"  No,  I  never  associated  you  with  her  appearance 
here.  What  inspired  you  to  it?  I  may  say  at 
once  that  I  regard  it  as  the  most  friendly  act  you 
could  possibly  have  performed  so  far  as  I  am  con- 
cerned; but  I  know  you  well  enough  to  be  a  little 
dubious." 

Beliani  smiled  and  spread  wide  his  hands  with  the 
deprecatory  gesture  of  the  Levantine.  Long  years 
of  residence  in  the  capitals  of  Europe  had  not  wholly 
effaced  the  servile  mannerisms  of  the  Eastern  money- 
lender. 

"  That  is  because  you  know  I  am  a  Greek,  your 
Majesty,"  he  said.  "  It  is  the  misfortune  of  my 
countrymen  that  we  are  seldom  given  credit  for  dis- 
interested motives.  Well,  I  will  be  honest,  quite 
frank  in  this,  for  the  excellent  reason  that  if  I  was 
to  endeavor  to  hoodwink  you  I  think  I  should  fail. 
I  make  it  my  business  to  know  everything — I  repeat, 
everything — about  Kosnovian  affairs,  and  when  the 
rumor  reached  Paris  that  you  were  to  marry  a  Mon- 
tenegrin Princess " 

Alec  laughed  so  cheerily  that  Prince  Michael,  who 
happened  to  be  in  the  room,  turned  and  looked  at 
the  two,  wondering  what  Beliani  could  have  said  that 
so  amused  his  son. 

"  My  dear  fellow,"  he  broke  in,  "  I  have  never  set 
eyes  on  the  lady.  My  time  has  been  far  too  occupied 
in  learning  my  business  to  permit  of  visits  to  neigh- 

208 


Wherein  the  Shadows  Deepen 

boring  States.  Moreover,  as  it  happened,  I  had 
chosen  my  wife  some  days  before  I  hit  upon  a  career." 

"  Exactly,  your  Majesty.     I  knew  that  also." 

"  But  how  could  you  know?  " 

"  I  mean  that  I  learned  it  afterward.  An  art 
student  of  the  type  of  Miss  Vernon,  and  a  young 
gentleman  so  popular  in  Parisian  society  as  Alexis 
Delgrado,  could  not  meet  day  after  day  in  the  Louvre 
to  conduct  a  class  composed  solely  of  two  members 
without  exciting  a  certain  amount  of  comment." 

"  But  that  doesn't  explain  why  you  should  have 
decided  upon  the  extraordinary  step  of  sending  her 
to  Delgratz." 

"  No,  it  shows  only  how  readily  I  availed  myself 
of  existing  circumstances.  You  see,  sitting  there 
in  Paris  and  reading  of  your  phenomenal  progress, 
I  pictured  to  myself  the  isolation,  the  lack  of  sympa- 
thetic companionship,  that  you  must  be  suffering  here 
despite  all  the  brave  fireworks  of  your  achievements. 
We  Greeks  are  poets  and  philosophers  as  well  as 
financiers,  and  I  gratified  those  higher  instincts  of 
my  race  by  rendering  possible  a  visit  to  Delgratz 
of  the  lady  whom  you  had  chosen  as  a  bride,  while 
at  the  same  time  I  hope  to  do  myself  a  good  turn 
in  winning  your  favor;  for  I  have  money  at  stake 
on  your  success.  Please  do  not  forget  that,  your 
Majesty.  I  supported  the  Delgrado  cause  when  it 
was  at  the  lowest  ebb  of  failure,  and  I  naturally  look 
forward  now  to  recoup  myself." 

"  All  this  is  new  to  me,"  said  Alec,  "  new  and  some- 
209 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

what  puzzling.  In  what  way  are  you  bound  up  with 
the  fortunes  of  my  house,  Monsieur  Beliani?  " 

The  Greek  shrugged  his  shoulders  expressively. 
"  There  are  so  many  ways  in  which  interest  in  a 
fallen  monarchy  can  be  kept  alive,"  he  said.  "  Mon- 
seigneur  your  father  is  well  acquainted  with  the  turns 
and  twists  of  events  ever  since  he  was  driven  forth 
from  Kosnovia  as  a  young  man.  For  many  years  I 
remained  here,  working  steadily  and  hopefully  in 
his  behalf,  and  you  yourself  are  aware  that  when 
you  were  a  boy  of  fourteen,  Stampoff  and  I  escaped 
death  only  by  the  skin  of  our  teeth  because  of  an 
abortive  attempt  to  place  your  father  on  the  throne." 

"  Of  course,"  said  Alec  thoughtfully,  "  you  must 
be  repaid  with  interest  the  sums  you  have  expended 
in  our  behalf;  but  I  warn  you  that  a  new  era  of 
economy  has  been  established  here.  My  father  and 
I  have  already  agreed  to  differ  on  that  point.  He 
seemed  to  think  that  the  chief  business  of  a  King 
was  to  exploit  his  subjects,  whereas  my  theory  is 
that  the  King  should  set  an  example  of  quiet  living 
and  industry.  Don't  forget  that  I  have  seen  some 
of  my  brother  potentates  stranded  in  Paris,  mostly 
because  they  were  so  ready  to  gratify  their  own 
appetites  at  the  expense  of  their  people.  I  need 
hardly  tell  you,  Beliani,  that  Kosnovia  is  a  poverty 
stricken  State.  We  have  suffered  from  three  genera- 
tions of  self  seeking  and  rapacious  rulers.  That  is 
all  ended.  I  mean  to  render  my  people  happy  and 
contented.  It  shall  be  the  one  care  of  my  life  to  make 

210 


Wherein  the  Shadows  Deepen 

them  so,  and  if  it  is  the  will  of  Providence  that  a 
Delgrado  should  reign  in  the  next  generation,  my 
legacy  to  him  will  be,  not  millions  of  pounds  in- 
vested in  foreign  securities,  but  a  nation  strong,  self 
contained,  and  prosperous." 

Beliani  listened  with  a  rapt  attention.  "  I  agree 
most  fully  with  every  word  that  has  fallen  from 
your  lips,"  he  said ;  "  but  your  Majesty  cannot 
achieve  these  splendid  aims  single  handed.  You  must 
be  surrounded  by  able  men ;  you  need  officials  of  ripe 
experience  in  every  department.  Now,  the  first  con- 
sideration of  a  small  State  like  this,  hemmed  in  as 
it  is  by  powerful  Kingdoms  which  the  least  change 
in  the  political  barometer  may  convert  into  active 
enemies,  is  a  strong  and  progressive  system  of  finance. 
I  am  vain  enough  to  think  that  you  may  find  my 
services  useful  in  that  direction.  There  is  no  man 
in  Delgratz  who  has  had  my  training,  and  so  assured 
am  I  of  the  success  that  will  attend  your  Majesty's 
reign  that  I  purposely  delayed  my  arrival  here  so 
that  I  might  not  come  empty  handed.  I  passed  a 
week  in  Vienna,  working  and  thinking  twenty  hours 
out  of  each  twenty-four.  I  felt  my  way  cautiously 
with  the  leading  financial  houses  there.  Of  course,  I 
could  not  say  much,  because  I  was  unauthorized;  but 
I  have  obtained  guarantees  that  will  command  the 
certain  issue  of  a  loan  sufficient  to  give  a  start  to 
some,  at  least,  of  the  many  projects  you  have  already 
foreshadowed  in  your  public  speeches.  Without  a 
shadow  of  doubt  I  declare  that  as  soon  as  I  am  able 

211 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

to  open  negotiations  with  your  approval,  a  loan  of 
several  millions  will  be  at  your  service." 

Though  the  Greek  was  putting  forward  an  obvious 
bait,  it  was  evident  that  the  King  was  astonished 
by  his  outspoken  declaration.  "  Do  I  understand 
that  you  are  applying  for  the  post  of  Minister  of 
Finance?"  he  said  in  his  straightforward  way. 

"  Yes,  your  Majesty,"  replied  Beliani. 

"  You  appreciate,  of  course,  that  I  occupy  a  some- 
what peculiar  position  here,"  said  Alec.  "  I  am  a 
constitutional  monarch  backed  by  a  constitution  that 
is  little  more  than  a  name.  This  country  really  de- 
mands an  autocracy,  whereas  I  have  sworn  to  govern 
only  by  the  will  of  the  people.  In  those  circum- 
stances I  do  not  feel  myself  at  liberty  to  appoint  or 
dismiss  Ministers  at  my  own  sweet  will.  I  assure  you 
that  I  am  grateful  for  the  offer  of  help  you  bring; 
but  I  cannot  give  you  the  appointment  you  seek 
until,  in  the  first  place,  I  have  consulted  my  council 
and  obtained  its  sanction." 

Beliani  bowed.  "  I  will  leave  the  matter  entirely 
in  your  Majesty's  hands,"  he  said,  and  by  no  sign 
did  his  well  governed  face  betray  his  satisfaction; 
for,  with  the  King  on  his  side,  the  astute  Greek 
well  knew  that  he  could  pull  the  strings  of  the  puppets 
in  the  Assembly  to  suit  his  own  ends. 

"  May  I  venture  to  suggest  to  your  Majesty,"  he 
went  on,  "  that  there  is  one  thing  that  demands  im- 
mediate attention  ?  Your  position  cannot  be  regarded 
as  assured  until  you  have  received  the  recognition 

212 


Wherein  the  Shadows  Deepen 

of  the  chief  European  States.  Has  Austria  made 
any  move  in  that  direction?  Have  you  been  ap- 
proached by  Russia?  One  of  those  two  will  take  the 
initiative,  and  the  others  will  follow." 

"  So  far,"  said  Alec,  smiling,  "  I  have  been  fa- 
vored with  a  telegram  from  the  German  Emperor, 
which  his  charge  d'affaires  tried  to  explain  away  next 
day.  It  was  followed  by  a  protest  from  Turkey  on 
account  of  an  alleged  disrespectful  remark  of  mine 
about  her  position  in  the  cosmogony  of  Europe,  and 
I  have  drawn  a  polite  refusal  from  Austria  to  modify 
passport  regulations,  which,  by  the  way,  I  suggested 
should  be  altogether  done  away  with.  Other 
Kings  and  Principalities  have  left  me  severely 
alone." 

"  But  it  would  be  a  grave  error  to  drop  the  pass- 
port system,"  said  Beliani  earnestly.  "  It  is  most 
important  that  your  Majesty's  police  should  be  ac- 
quainted with  the  identity  of  all  strangers ;  otherwise 
you  would  never  know  what  secret  agents  of  your 
enemies  you  might  be  harboring  here." 

"  I  trouble  my  head  very  little  about  the  secret 
agents  of  enemies  that  do  not  exist,"  said  Alec  lightly. 
"  You  are  probably  thinking  of  the  revolt  of  the 
Seventh  Regiment;  but  that  is  a  domestic  quarrel, 
a  local  phase  of  the  war  waged  by  all  criminals 
against  representatives  of  law  and  order.  To  be 
sure,  I  shall  devote  every  effort  to  keeping  Kosnovia 
free  of  external  troubles ;  yet  passports  are  useless 
there.  I  find  that  a  stupid  dream  of  a  Slav  Empire 

213 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

has  drugged  the  best  intellects  of  Kosnovia  for  half 
a  century.  That  sort  of  political  hashish  must  cease 
to  control  our  actions.  It  has  served  only  to  cripple 
our  commercial  expansion,  and  I  have  declined  reso- 
lutely to  countenance  its  continuance  either  in  public 
or  private.  Let  us  first  develop  the  land  we  own. 
Believe  me,  Monsieur  Beliani,  if  our  people  are  worthy 
of  extending  their  sway,  no  power  on  earth  can  stop 
them ;  but  they  must  first  learn  to  till  the  field  with 
implements  other  than  swords  or  bayonets,  which  are 
quite  out  of  date,  either  as  plows  or  as  reaping- 
hooks." 

Prince  Michael,  watching  them  furtively,  and  won- 
dering much  what  topic  was  engaging  them  so  deeply, 
could  no  longer  restrain  his  impatience.  He  joined 
them,  saying  with  his  jaunty,  self  confident  air: 
"  What  new  surprise  are  you  two  plotting?  You 
ought  to  make  a  rare  combination, — Alec  with  his 
democratic  pose  of  taking  the  wide  world  into  his 
confidence,  and  you,  Beliani,  burrowing  underground 
like  a  mole  whose  existence  is  suspected  only  when 
one  sees  the  outcome  of  his  labors." 

"  Just  what  I  was  suggesting  to  his  Majesty," 
laughed  Beliani,  cursing  Prince  Michael  under  his 
breath  for  interfering  at  that  moment.  "  I  will  say, 
though,  from  what  I  have  managed  to  glean  of  his 
projects,  that  the  humble  role  you  have  been  good 
enough  to  assign  to  me  will  be  utterly  out  of  place 
in  his  nobler  schemes.  Nevertheless,  I  hope  to  make 
myself  useful."  * 

214 


Wherein  the  Shadows  Deepen 

"  Something  to  do  with  money,  of  course?  "  guf- 
fawed the  Prince. 

"  It  is  the  only  commodity  I  really  understand," 
was  the  suave  answer. 

"  That  is  why  you  refused  me  a  loan  a  fortnight 
ago  in  Paris,  I  suppose?  " 

"  A  loan !  "  interposed  Alec.  "  Were  you  hard 
up,  father?  " 

"  I  have  been  telling  you  so  without  avail  ever 
since  I  arrived  in  Delgratz,"  said  the  Prince  bruskly. 

"  Ah,  you  have  been  asking  me  to  impose  on  an 
empty  exchequer  an  annual  payment  that  Kosnovia 
certainly  cannot  afford;  but  I  certainly  was  not 
under  the  impression  that  you  had  found  it  necessary 
to  apply  to  Monsieur  Beliani  for  help.  Why  should 
such  a  step  be  necessary?  I  have  always  under- 
stood  " 

"  Oh,  we  need  not  discuss  the  thing  now,"  said 
Prince  Michael  offhandedly ;  for  he  dreaded  a  too 
close  inquiry  into  his  wife's  financial  resources  in  the 
presence  of  the  Greek.  Princess  Delgrado  was  re- 
putedly a  rich  woman,  and  her  husband  had  explained 
his  shortness  of  cash  during  recent  years  by  the 
convenient  theory  of  monetary  tightness  in  America, 
whence,  it  was  well  understood,  her  income  was  de- 
rived. 

"  Have  you  seen  your  mother  recently  ?  "  he  went 

on,  striving  to  appear  at  his  ease.     "  I  was  looking 

for  her  half  an  hour  ago.     Some  letters  that  reached 

me  from  Paris  to-day  ought  to  be  answered  by  to- 

*  215 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

night's  post,  and  I  wish  to  consult  her  before  dealing 
with  them." 

"  Joan  will  know  where  she  is,  I  expect,"  said 
Alec;  but,  seeing  that  Prince  Michael  did  not  avail 
himself  of  Joan's  presence  to  seek  the  desired  informa- 
tion, he  strolled  over  to  the  corner  of  the  room  where 
Joan  was  chatting  with  Beaumanoir  and  one  of 
the  Serbian  officers  attached  to  the  royal  suite. 

"  Do  you  know  where  my  mother  is  ?  "  'he  asked. 

"  Yes,"  she  said.  "  General  Stampoff  took  her  for 
a  drive  nearly  an  hour  ago.  I  offered  to  go  with 
them;  but  the  General  explained  that  his  victoria 
would  hold  only  two." 

"  Stampoff  driving  with  my  mother !  "  cried  Alec 
with  a  laugh,  "  I  must  look  into  this.  Stampoff  is 
no  lady's  man  as  a  rule.  Now,  what  in  the  world  does 
he  want  my  mother  to  do  for  him?  " 

Certainly  there  must  have  been  some  quality  in  the 
air  of  Delgratz  that  produced  strange  happenings. 
Stampoff  could  scarcely  speak  civilly  to  a  woman, 
ever  since  a  faithless  member  of  the  fair  sex  brought 
about  his  downfall  in  Delgratz  a  decade  earlier. 
Small  wonder,  then,  that  Alec  should  express  surprise 
at  such  display  of  gallantry  on  his  part! 

And,  indeed,  the  unprecedented  action  of  the  gruff 
old  Serbian  General  in  taking  Princess  Delgrado  for 
a  drive  that  evening  was  destined  to  have  consequences 
not  to  be  foreseen  by  any  person,  least  of  all  the 
young  couple  whose  contemplated  marriage  was  then 
in  the  mouths  of  all  men.  It  was  the  first  step  in  the 

216 


Wherem  the  Shadows  Deepen 

new  march  of  events.  Stampoff  meant  to  prove  to 
the  King's  mother  that  her  son  would  be  ruined  in 
the  eyes  of  his  people  if  he  married  a  foreigner, 
ruined  instantly  and  irretrievably,  no  matter  how 
gracious  and  pleasing  Joan  might  seem  to  be  in  their 
eyes,  and,  true  to  his  military  caste,  he  wasted  no 
time  in  making  the  Princess  aware  of  his  motive  in 
seeking  this  tete-a-tete  conversation. 

"  I  think  I  am  right  in  assuming  that  you  approve 
of  the  young  American  lady  as  your  son's  wife," 
said  he  when  the  carriage  was  clear  of  the  paved 
streets  and  bowling  smoothly  along  the  south  bank  of 
the  Danube  on  the  only  good  driving  road  outside 
the  city. 

"  The  notion  startled  me  at  first,"  confessed  the 
Princess ;  "  but  the  more  I  see  of  Joan  the  more  I 
like  her.  Alec  and  she  are  devoted  to  each  other, 
and  I  am  sure  she  will  be  popular,  for  she  is  the  type 
of  woman  who  will  take  her  position  as  Queen  seri- 
ously." ' 

"  She  is  admirable  in  every  respect,"  interrupted 
Stampoff ;  "  but  she  suffers  from  one  defect  that 
outweighs  all  her  virtues, — she  is  not  a  Serb." 

"  Nor  am  I,"  said  the  Princess  quickly ;  "  yet  no 
one  seems  to  find  fault  with  the  King  on  that 
ground." 

"  One  cannot  judge  the  conditions  that  hold  good 
to-day  by  those  which  existed  twenty-five  years  ago," 
said  Stampoff  gravely.  "  When  Prince  Michael  mar- 
ried you,  madame,  he  was  an  exile ;  but  Alexis  is  the 

217 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

reigning  King,  and  he  will  offend  his  people  mortally 
if  he  brings  in  a  foreigner  to  share  his  throne." 

Princess  Belgrade  was  bewildered  by  this  sudden 
attack.  She  turned  and  scanned  the  old  man's  im- 
pressive features  with  feverish  anxiety.  "  What  do 
you  mean  ?  "  she  asked  quickly.  "  Are  you  trying 
to  enlist  my  aid  in  a  campaign  against  my  son's 
chosen  wife?  If  so,  you  will  fail,  General.  I  am 
weary  to  death  of  political  intrigues  and  the  never 
ceasing  tactics  of  wirepullers.  I  have  been  sur- 
rounded by  them  all  my  life,  and  I  thanked  Providence 
in  my  heart  when  I  saw  that  my  son  began  his  reign 
by  sweeping  aside  the  whole  network  of  lies  and 
artifice.  He  has  not  imposed  himself  on  his  people. 
He  is  here  by  their  own  free  will,  and  if  they  are 
ready  to  accept  him  so  thoroughly  they  will  surely 
not  think  of  interfering  in  such  a  personal  matter 
as  his  marriage." 

"  But  they  are  thinking  of  it,"  said  Stampoff 
doggedly.  "  That  is  why  you  are  here  now  with  me. 
I  felt  that  I  must  warn  you  of  the  trouble  ahead. 
Alec,  I  admit,  would  be  an  ideal  King  in  an  ideal 
State ;  but  he  has  failed  absolutely  to  appreciate 
the  racial  prejudices  that  exist  here.  They  are  the 
growth  of  centuries ;  they  cannot  be  uprooted  merely 
because  a  King  is  in  love  with  an  eminently  desirable 
young  woman.  Among  the  ten  millions  of  our  people, 
Princess,  there  are  hardly  ten  thousand  who  have 
any  settled  notions  of  government,  whether  good  or 
bad,  and  those  ten  thousand  think  they  have  a  prior 

218 


Wherein  the  Shadows  Deepen 

right  to  control  the  destinies  of  the  remainder  of  the 
nation.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  of  the  younger 
officers,  there  is  not  a  man  among  the  governing 
class  who  doesn't  harbor  more  or  less  resentment 
against  your  son.  He  is  putting  down  with  a  ruth- 
less hand  the  petty  corruption  on  which  they  thrived, 
and  at  the  same  time  reducing  their  recognized  sal- 
aries. In  season  and  out  of  season  he  preaches  the 
duties  of  good  citizenship,  but  these  men  have  too 
long  been  considering  self  to  yield  without  a  struggle 
the  positions  attained  under  a  less  scrupulous  regime. 
"  I  speak  of  what  I  know  when  I  tell  you  that, 
placid  and  contented  as  Delgratz  looks,  it  is  really 
a  seething  volcano  of  hate  and  discontent.  Repressed 
for  the  hour,  kept  in  check,  perhaps,  by  the  un- 
doubted loyalty  of  the  masses,  it  is  ready  to  spout 
devastating  fire  and  ashes  at  the  least  provocation, 
and  that  will  be  found  in  a  marriage  which  seems 
to  shut  out  all  hope  of  realizing  the  long  looked  for 
joining  of  Montenegro  and  Kosnovia.  I  have  a  bit- 
ter acquaintance  with  our  history,  madame,  and 
am  persuaded  that  if  Alec  is  to  remain  King  he  must 
abandon  forever  this  notion  of  marrying  an  alien. 
The  Greek  church  would  oppose  it  tooth  and  nail, 
and  the  people  would  soon  follow  the  lead  of  their 
Popes.  This  young  lady's  appearance  in  Delgratz 
has  come  at  a  singularly  inopportune  moment.  She 
was  brought  here  by  some  one  hostile  to  your  son. 
If  she  came  in  obedience  to  Alec's  wishes,  he  is  his  own 
worst  enemy." 

219 


The  distressed  Princess  could  hardly  falter  a  ques- 
tion in  response  to  Stampoff's  vehement  outburst. 
"  Why  do  you  tell  me  these  things  ? "  she  said 
brokenly.  "  I — I  dare  not  interfere,  even  though 
I  approved  of  what  you  say,  which  I  do  not." 

"  Some  one  must  act,  and  speedily  too,  or  the 
resultant  mischief  cannot  be  undone.  I  appeal  to 
you  because  you  are  a  woman,  and  we  men  are  prone 
to  bungle  in  these  matters." 

"  But  what  do  you  want  of  me?  "  wailed  the  tor- 
tured Princess.  "  Michael  protested  against  the 
marriage 

"  I  am  thinking  of  Alec's  welfare  now,"  said 
Stampoff  gruffly.  "  You  are  his  mother,  and  you 
and  I  can  save  him.  In  a  word,  that  girl  must  go, 
to-night  if  possible,  to-morrow  without  fail.  The 
talk  of  marriage  must  be  dropped,  and  revived  only 
when  a  Serb  is  the  prospective  bride." 

"  You  say  she  must  go.  What  does  that  imply  ? 
It  is  not  in  my  power  to  send  her  away,  even  if  I 
would." 

"  It  is,  Princess,"  was  the  grim  answer.  "  If  she 
loves  Alec,  she  will  save  him  by  leaving  him.  I  am 
told  women  do  these  things  occasionally.  Perhaps 
she  is  one  of  the  self  sacrificing  sort.  At  any  rate, 
she  must  be  given  the  chance,  and  by  you.  She 
must  go  away,  and,  in  going,  tell  the  King  she  will 
never  marry  him.  It  is  hard.  Both  will  suffer ;  but, 
in  the  long  run  Alec  will  come  to  see  that  by  no  other 
means  can  he  retain  his  Kingdom." 

220 


CHAPTER  XI 

JOAN  DECIDES 

AN  odd  element  of  fatality  seemed  to  attach  itself 
to  the  Byzantine  Saint  Peter  in  the  cathedral  of 
Delgratz.  Joan  nearly  lost  her  life  within  a  few 
hours  of  the  time  when  first  she  saw  that  remarkable 
work  of  art,  and  it  was  ordained  that  one  of  the  last 
clear  memories  of  the  checkered  life  in  Kosnovia 
should  be  its  round  staring  eyes,  its  stiffly  modeled 
right  hand,  uplifted,  it  might  be,  in  reproof  or 
exhortation,  the  ornate  pastoral  staff,  and  the  em- 
blem of  the  crossed  keys  that  labeled  the  artist's 
intent  to  portray  the  chief  apostle.  Poor  Joan  had 
already  conceived  a  violent  dislike  of  the  reputed 
Giotto.  It  was  no  longing  to  complete  her  work  that 
drove  her,  at  the  end,  to  the  solemn  cathedral,  but 
the  compelling  need  of  confiding  in  Felix.  For  it 
had  come  to  this :  she  must  fly  from  Delgratz  at  once 
and  forever. 

It  chanced  that  morning  that  Alec  had  taken  a 
holiday.  He  appeared  unexpectedly  at  breakfast 
and  sat  by  Joan's  side,  and  his  lover's  eyes  had 
detected  a  pallor,  a  certain  strained  and  wistful  ten- 

221 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

sion  of  the  lips,  signs  of  mental  storm  and  stress 
that  she  hoped  would  not  be  noticeable. 

"  Sweetheart,"  he  whispered  in  quick  alarm,  "  you 
are  not  well.  You  are  feeling  this  wretched  climate. 
I  am  minded  to  throw  sentiment  aside  and  send  my 
mother  and  you  to  the  New  Konak  to-day." 

"  I  am  quite  well,"  she  said,  with  a  forced  com- 
posure that  she  felt  did  not  deceive  him.  It  was 
necessary  to  invent  some  explanation,  and  she  con- 
tinued hurriedly,  "  I  did  not  sleep  soundly  last  night. 
Some  wandering  night  bird  flew  in  through  my  open 
window  and  startled  me  with  its  frantic  efforts  to 
escape  from  the  room.  That  is  all.  After  a  little 
rest  I  shall  be  myself  again." 

"  That  gloomy  old  cathedral  is  not  a  healthy  place, 
I  am  inclined  to  think,"  he  said,  scanning  her  face 
again  with  the  anxious  gaze  of  one  who  could  not 
endure  even  a  momentary  eclipse  of  its  bright  vivac- 
ity. "  You  go  there  too  often,  and  now  that  we  know 
from  whom  your  commission  was  received  it  is  strain- 
ing a  point  of  etiquette  to  continue  your  work.  It 
will  relieve  any  scruples  you  may  have  on  that  head 
if  I  tell  you  that  I  paid  Monsieur  Beliani  yesterday 
every  farthing  of  the  money  advanced  to  you  by  his 
agent  in  Paris." 

"  I  am  glad  of  that,"  she  said  simply.  "  I  did 
not  like  the  idea  of  being  indebted  to  him.  Though 
he  is  a  very  clever  man,  I  regard  him  as  a  good  deal 
of  a  rogue." 

Alec  was  not  to  be  switched  off  personal  issues 
222 


Joan  Decides 

because  Joan  expressed  her  opinions  in  this  matter  of 
fact  manner.  "  I  am  quite  sure  you  are  ill,  or  at 
any  rate  run  down,"  he  persisted.  "  What  you  need 
is  a  change  of  air.  I  think  I  can  allow  myself  a 
few  hours'  respite  from  affairs  of  state  to-day.  What 
say  you  if  the  two  of  us  drive  to  our  country  house 
this  morning  and  find  out  for  ourselves  the  progress 
made  by  the  workmen?  I  seem  to  remember  that 
the  contractor  named  a  date,  not  far  distant  now, 
when  the  place  would  be  habitable." 

"  There  is  nothing  in  the  world  that  I  should  like 
better,"  said  Joan. 

Again  Alec  detected  a  strange  undercurrent  of 
emotion  in  her  voice;  but  he  attributed  it  to  the  lack 
of  sleep  she  had  complained  of,  and  with  his  cus- 
tomary tact  forbore  from  pressing  her  for  any 
further  explanation. 

They  took  their  drive,  and  to  all  outward  semblance 
Joan  enjoyed  it  thoroughly.  Her  drooping  spirits 
revived  long  before  the  last  straggling  houses  of  Del- 
gratz  were  left  behind.  She  exhibited  the  keenest 
interest  in  the  house  and  gardens.  Although  their 
inspection  did  not  end  until  the  sun  was  high  in 
the  heavens,  she  insisted  upon  entering  every  room 
and  traversing  many  of  the  paths  in  the  spacious 
grounds.  She  talked,  too,  with  a  fluency  that  in 
any  other  woman  would  have  aroused  a  suspicion  of 
effort;  but  Alec  was  too  glad  that  the  marked  de- 
pression of  the  morning  had  passed  to  give  heed  to 
her  half-hysterical  mood.  He  entered  with  zest  into 

223 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

her  eager  scrutiny  of  their  future  home,  sought  her 
advice  on  every  little  detail,  and  grew  enthusiastic 
himself  at  the  prospect  of  a  speedy  removal  from 
the  barnlike  presidential  palace  to  that  leafy  para- 
dise. He  remembered  afterward  how  Joan's  eyes 
dwelt  longingly  on  an  Italian  garden  that  had  always 
attracted  her;  but  it  was  impossible  that  he  should 
read  the  farewell  in  them. 

They  returned  to  the  city  in  time  for  luncheon ; 
then  the  King  had  to  hurry  away  to  try  and  overtake 
the  day's  engagements. 

His  parting  words  were  an  injunction  to  Joan  that 
she  should  not  go  out  again  during  the  hot  hours, 
but  endeavor  to  obtain  the  rest  of  which  she  had 
been  deprived  during  the  night. 

"  Good-by,  dear,"  she  said.  "  You  may  feel  quite 
certain  that  when  next  we  meet  I  shall  be  a  different 
person  altogether  to  the  pallid  creature  whom  you 
met  at  breakfast  this  morning." 

Alec  was  still  conscious  of  some  strange  detach- 
ment in  her  words.  His  earlier  feeling  that  she  was 
acting  a  part  came  back  with  renewed  force; 
but  he  again  attributed  it  to  the  reaction  that 
comes  to  highly  strung  natures  after  a  surfeit 
of  excitement  in  the  midst  of  a  new  and  difficult 
environment. 

He  kissed  her  tenderly,  and  Joan  seemed  to  be  on 
the  verge  of  tears.  He  was  puzzled ;  but  thought  it 
best  to  refrain  from  comment.  "  Poor  girl ! "  he 
said  to  himself.  "  She  feels  it  hard  to  be  surrounded 


Joan  Decides 

by  people  who  are  all  strangers,  and  mostly  shut 
off  by  the  barrier  of  language." 

But  he  was  in  no  sense  alarmed.  He  left  the  pal- 
ace convinced  that  a  few  hours  of  repose  would 
bring  back  the  color  to  her  cheeks  and  the  natural 
buoyancy  to  her  manner.  Then  he  meant  to  chaff 
her  about  her  distracted  air ;  for  Joan  was  no  neurotic 
subject,  and  she  herself  would  be  the  first  to  laugh 
at  the  nervous  fit  of  the  morning. 

Poluski,  hard  at  work  at  his  frescoes  since  an  early 
hour,  and  grudgingly  snatching  a  hasty  meal  at 
midday,  was  surprised  when  Joan  came  to  him  after 
the  King's  departure  and  told  him  that  she  meant 
to  finish  her  picture  that  afternoon.  He  made  no 
comment,  however,  indeed  he  was  glad  of  her  com- 
pany, and  the  two  drove  away  together  in  the  capa- 
cious closed  carriage  that  brought  them  to  and  fro 
between  cathedral  and  palace.  During  their  work- 
ing hours,  they  refused  to  be  hampered  by  the  pres- 
ence of  servants.  An  old  Greek,  who  acted  as  care- 
taker, took  charge  of  canvases,  easels,  paintboxes, 
and  other  utensils  of  the  painter's  craft,  and  he  came 
out  gleefully  from  his  lodge  as  soon  as  their 
vehicle  rumbled  under  the  deep  arch  of  the  outer 
porch. 

Usually,  Joan  had  a  word  and  a  smile  for  him, 
though  the  extent  of  her  Greek  conversation  was  a 
phrase  or  two  learned  from  Felix;  but  to-day  she 
hardly  seemed  to  see  him,  and  lost  not  a  moment  in 
settling  down  to  work.  She  had  not  much  to  do; 

225 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

in  fact,  so  far  as  Felix  took  note  of  her  action,  after 
adjusting  the  canvas  and  mixing  some  colors  on  the 
palette,  she  sat  idle  for  a  long  time,  and  even  then 
occupied  herself  with  an  unnecessary  deepening  of 
tints  in  the  picture,  which  already  displayed  an  amaz- 
ing resemblance  to  its  stilted  and  highly  colored 
prototype. 

At  last  she  spoke,  and  Felix,  perched  on  a  platform 
above  her  head,  was  almost  startled  by  the  sorrow 
laden  cadence  of  her  voice. 

"  I  did  not  really  come  here  to-day  to  paint,"  she 
said.  "  The  picture  is  finished ;  my  work  in  Delgratz 
is  ended.  You  and  Pauline  are  the  only  two  people 
in  the  world  whom  I  can  trust,  and  I  have  brought 
you  here,  Felix,  to  tell  you  that  I  am  leaving  Del- 
gratz to-night." 

The  hunchback  slid  down  from  the  little  scaffold- 
ing he  had  constructed  to  enable  him  to  survey  the 
large  area  covered  by  the  frescoes.  "  I  suppose  I 
have  understood  what  you  said,"  he  cried.  "  It  is 
impossible  to  focus  one's  thoughts  properly  on  the 
spoken  word  when  a  huge  dome  adds  vibrations  of 
its  own,  and  I  admit  that  I  am  invariably  irritated 
myself  when  I  state  a  remarkable  fact  with  the  utmost 
plainness  and  people  pretend  to  be  either  deaf  or 
dull  of  comprehension." 

That  was  Poluski's  way.  He  never  would  take 
one  seriously;  but  Joan  merely  sighed  and  bent  her 
head. 

"  You  say  you  are  leaving  Delgratz  to-night ! 
226 


Joan  Decides 

May  one  ask  why  ?  "  he  went  on,  dropping  his  banter- 
ing manner  at  once. 

"  No,"  she  said. 

Felix  bassooned  a  few  deep  notes  between  his  lips. 
"  You  have  some  good  reason  for  telling  me  that, 
I  presume?  "  he  muttered,  uttering  the  first  words 
that  occurred  to  his  perplexed  brain. 

"  Yes,  the  very  best  of  reasons,  or  at  least  the 
most  convincing.  I  cannot  remain  here  unless  I 
marry  Alec,  and  as  I  have  absolutely  determined  not 
to  marry  him,  it  follows  that  I  must  go." 

"  Ah,  you  are  willing  to  give  some  sort  of  reason, 
then,"  he  said.  "  At  present  I  am  muddled.  One 
grasps  that  unless  you  marry  Alec  you  must  go; 
but  why  not  marry  Alec?  It  sounds  like  a  proposi- 
tion of  Euclid  with  the  main  clauses  omitted." 

"  I  am  sorry,  Felix,  but  I  cannot  explain  myself 
further.  You  came  to  Delgratz  with  me;  will  you 
return  with  me  to  Paris?  If  not,  will  you  at  least 
promise  to  help  me  to  get  away  and  keep  secret  the 
fact  that  I  am  going?  " 

Felix  grew  round  eyed  with  amazement;  but  he 
managed  to  control  his  tongue.  "  You  are  asking 
a  good  deal,  dear,"  he  said.  "  Do  you  know  what 
you  are  doing  ?  Do  you  realize  what  your  action  will 
mean  to  Alec?  What  has  happened?  Some  lover's 
tiff.  That  is  unlike  you,  Joan.  If  you  run  off  in 
this  fashion,  you  will  be  trying  most  deliberately  to 
break  poor  Alec's  heart." 

Joan  uttered  a  queer  little  choking  sob,  yet  recov- 
227 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

ered  her  self  control  with  a  rapidity  that  disconcerted 
Felix  far  more  than  she  imagined  at  the  moment. 

"  He  will  suffer,  I  know,"  she  murmured,  "  and  it 
does  not  console  me  to  feel  that  in  the  end  I  shall 
suffer  far  more;  but  I  am  going,  Felix,  whatsoever 
the  cost,  no  matter  whose  heart  may  be  broken. 
Heaven  help  me!  I  must  go,  and  I  look  to  you  for 
assistance.  Oh,  my  friend,  my  friend !  I  have  only 
you  in  all  the  world.  Do  not  desert  me  in  my  need !  " 

She  had  never  before  seen  Felix  really  angry ;  but 
even  in  the  extremity  of  her  distress  she  could  not 
fail  to  note  a  strange  glitter  in  the  gray  eyes  now 
fixed  on  her  in  a  fiery  underlook.  The  little  man 
was  deeply  moved ;  for  once  in  his  life  he  did  not 
care  how  much  he  showed  his  resentment. 

*'  Saperlotte!  "  he  growled.  "  What  has  come  to 
you?  Is  it  you  who  speak,  or  the  devil?  You  are 
possessed  of  a  fiend,  Joan,  a  fiend  that  is  tempting 
you  to  do  this  wrong !  " 

Joan  rose,  pale  faced  and  resolute.  Despite  the 
flood  of  rage  and  despair  that  surged  in  Poluski's 
quivering  frame,  she  reminded  him  of  a  glimpse  he 
caught  of  her  in  that  last  desperate  moment  when 
the  door  of  the  hotel  was  battered  open  by  the  in- 
surgents and  her  mind  was  already  fixed  on  death 
as  a  blessed  relief  from  the  horror  of  life. 

"  I  only  ask  you  to  believe  in  my  unalterable  pur- 
pose," she  said  with  a  calmness  that  stupefied  him. 
"  If  no  other  means  presents  itself,  I  should  wander 
out  of  the  palace  in  the  darkness  and  endeavor  to 

228 


Joan  Decides 

reach  Austria  by  the  ferry  across  the  Danube.  I 
believe  there  are  difficulties  for  the  stranger  if  one 
goes  that  way ;  but  again  I  throw  myself  on  your 
mercy,  Felix,  and  appeal  to  you  for  guidance  and 
help.  This  is  my  worst  hour.  If  you  fail  me  now, 
I  shall  indeed  be  wretched." 

Felix  leaned  against  an  upright  of  the  scaffolding 
and  passed  a  trembling  hand  over  his  forehead. 
"  Forgive  me,  Joan,  if  I  have  spoken  harshly ! "  he 
muttered  in  the  dubious  voice  of  a  man  who  hardly 
knows  what  he  is  saying. 

"  There  is  nothing  to  forgive.  It  is  I,  rather,  who 
should  seek  forgiveness  from  you  for  imposing  this 
cruel  test  of  friendship.  But  what  can  I  do,  Felix? 
I  am  a  woman  and  alone,  and,  when  I  think  of  what 
lies  before  me,  I  am  afraid." 

With  a  great  effort  he  steadied  himself.  Placing 
both  hands  on  the  girl's  shoulders,  he  turned  her 
face  to  the  light  that  fell  from  a  small  rose  window 
in  a  side  aisle.  In  silence  he  looked  at  her,  seeking 
to  wring  the  secret  of  this  madness  from  her  stead- 
fast eyes. 

"  Ma  belle"  he  cried  suddenly,  "  I  am  beginning 
to  believe  that  you  are  in  earnest." 

"  No  matter  how  many  years  it  may  please  God 
to  leave  me  on  earth,  I  shall  never  be  more  resolved 
on  anything  than  on  my  departure  from  Delgratz 
to-night." 

"  You  place  trust  in  me,  you  say  in  one  breath, 
yet  you  deny  it  in  another.  Tell  me  then,  Joan, 

229 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

what  is  the  obstacle  that  has  arisen  to  prevent  you 
from  marrying  Alec?  It  all  hinges  on  that.  Who 
has  been  lying  to  you  ?  " 

She  could  not  continue  to  meet  his  accusing  eyes. 
It  seemed  to  her  that  if  he  urged  her  more  her  heart 
would  burst.  Yielding  to  the  impulse  of  the  hunted 
animal,  she  wrenched  herself  free  and  turned  to  run 
somewhere,  anywhere,  so  that  she  might  avoid  his 
merciless  inquisition.  A  harsh  laugh  fell  on  her  ears, 
and  nothing  more  effective  to  put  a  stop  to  her  flight 
could  have  been  devised. 

"  Name  of  a  name !  "  he  roared,  "  shall  we  not  take 
our  pictures?  If  we  are  false  to  all  else,  let  us  at 
least  be  true  to  our  harmless  daubs ! " 

The  taunt  was  undeserved  and  glanced  unheeded 
from  the  shield  of  the  girl's  utter  misery.  Perhaps 
because  that  was  so,  the  Pole's  next  words  were 
tender  and  soothing. 

"  Come,  then,  my  Joan,"  he  growled,  "  never  shall 
it  be  said  against  me  that  I  deserted  a  comrade  in 
distress.  I  hoped  to  see  you  happily  wedded.  It 
was  my  fantasy  that  Alec  and  you  would  inaugurate 
a  new  line  of  monarchs  and  thus  bring  about  the 
social  revolution  from  an  unexpected  quarter.  But 
I  was  mistaken.  Holy  blue!  never  was  man  so  led 
astray  since  Eve  strolled  into  the  wrong  orchard 
and  brought  Adam  with  her !  " 

By  this  time  he  had  caught  her.  He  held  her 
arm,  and  began  to  stroke  one  of  her  hands  softly 
as  if  she  had  shown  symptoms  of  falling  in  a  faint. 

230 


Joan  Decides 

"  We  will  go,  mignonne,"  he  soothed  her,  "  you  and 
I,  and  none  here  shall  know  till  we  have  crossed  the 

0 

frontier.  Not  even  then  will  they  guess  what  has 
become  of  us,  unless  you  find  it  in  your  heart  to  leave 
some  little  word  for  Alec.  You  will  do  that?  You 
will  save  him  from  despair,  from  the  torture  of 
doubt " 

"  Oh,  Felix,  spare  me ! "  she  sobbed  convulsively. 

"  But  one  must  look  squarely  at  the  facts, 
mignonne.  If  you  run  away  and  give  no  sign,  it 
can  only  be  supposed  that  you  have  met  with  some 
evil  fate.  There  are  others  than  Alec  who  will  think 
that  disaster  has  befallen  you,  and  they  will  have 
uneasy  souls,  and  Alec  will  look  into  their  guilty 
faces  with  the  eyes  of  a  wrathful  lover,  which  at 
such  times  can  be  superhuman,  terrible,  heart  pierc- 
ing. There  is  no  knowing  whose  blood  will  stain  his 
hands  then ;  for  he  will  accept  from  no  one  but  your- 
self the  assurance  that  you  have  left  him  of  your 
own  free  will." 

"  That,  at  least,  is  true,"  she  said  wearily.  "  I 
shall  write  a  letter  which  must  be  given  to  him  when 
I  am  gone." 

"  Grand  Dieu!  what  a  resolute  will  is  yours,  Joan ! 
Have  you  counted  the  cost?  Leave  Alec  out  of  it; 
but  do  you  think  his  hog  of  a  father,  his  easily 
swayed  mother,  Stampoff,  the  short  sighted  and  patri- 
otic, or  that  scheming  Greek  and  his  puppet  Maru- 
litch,  will  gain  the  ends  for  which,  between  them, 
they  have  contrived  your  flight?  Do  you  know  Alec 

231 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

so  little  as  to  believe  that  he  will  leave  the  field  clear 
to  that  crew?  Why,  dear  heart,  he  will  sweep  them 
aside  like  an  angry  god !  They  have  bewitched  your 
brain  with  some  tale  of  the  evil  that  will  accrue  to 
the  King  if  he  weds  the  woman  he  loves.  If  that  is 
all,  it  is  a  fiction  fit  only  to  frighten  a  child.  Hear 
me,  Joan!  You  are  not  helping  Alec  by  tearing 
yourself  away  from  Delgratz ;  but  condemning  to  the 
deepest  hell  not  him  alone  but  some  millions  of  people 
who  have  done  no  wrong.  They  gave  their  honest 
affections  to  this  boy,  because  he  strikes  their  imagi- 
nation as  a  King  sent  straight  from  Heaven.  It  is 
a  vile  plot,  dear  heart,  to  drive  Alec  from  Kosnovia. 
How  can  you,  of  all  women,  lend  yourself  to  it?  " 

Felix  could  not  guess  how  his  words  lacerated  the 
unhappy  girl's  soul;  but  she  did  not  falter  in  her 
purpose,  and  again  endeavored  to  rush  from  the 
church.  Poluski  uttered  a  queer  click  with  his 
tongue.  It  testified  that  he  had  done  his  uttermost 
and  failed. 

"  Be  it  so,  then !  "  he  muttered.  "  Help  me  to  pack 
up  these  masterpieces.  I  can  plan  and  scheme  with 
any  man  living ;  but  I  cannot  cope  with  heavy  parcels 
of  holiness." 

Joan,  distraught  though  she  was,  felt  that  he  had 
given  way.  Without  another  word  she  assisted  in 
packing  the  carriage  with  their  canvases  and  other 
belongings.  The  old  Greek  caretaker  hobbled  after 
them  when  he  saw  that  they  were  going  without 
depositing  their  paraphernalia  in  the  lodge  as  usual. 

232 


Joan  Decides 

"  You  will  come  back  some  day  and  copy  another 
picture,  I  hope,  Excellency,"  he  cried,  doffing  his 
cap  to  Joan. 

She  opened  her  purse,  since  she  did  not  understand 
what  the  old  man  was  saying. 

"  No,  no,  Excellency,"  he  protested.  "  The  King 
himself  told  me  you  were  not  to  be  pestered  by 
beggars.  I  have  threatened  to  crack  the  skulls 
of  one  or  two  who  persisted  in  annoying  you,  and 
it  would  ill  become  me  to  take  a  reward  for  doing 
what  the  King  ordered." 

"  He  will  not  accept  anything,"  said  Felix.  "  I 
may  not  tell  you  what  else  he  said,  since  he  only  put 
my  arguments  in  simpler  words." 

He  shot  a  quick  look  at  her,  hoping  to  find  some 
slight  sign  of  weakening;  but  her  marble  face  wore 
the  expression  of  one  who  has  suffered  so  greatly 
that  the  capacity  for  suffering  is  exhausted.  From 
that  instant  Felix  urged  her  no  more.  He  obeyed 
her  without  question  or  protest,  contriving  matters 
so  that  when  she  quitted  the  palace,  deeply  veiled,  to 
walk  to  the  station,  the  soldiers  on  guard  imagined 
she  was  a  serving  maid  going  into  the  town. 

Pauline,  though  prepared  to  be  faithful  at  any 
hazard,  wept  when  she  was  told  that  she  must  stay 
in  Delgratz  and  face  the  storm  that  would  rage  when 
she  delivered  into  the  King's  own  hand  the  letter 
Joan  intrusted  to  her  care.  But  even  Pauline  herself 
realized  that  if  her  mistress  was  to  escape  from 
Delgratz  unnoticed,  she,  the  maid,  must  remain  there 

233 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

till  the  following  day.  By  that  time  there  would 
be  no  reason  why  Joan's  maid  should  not  leave  openly 
for  the  west,  and  the  Frenchwoman  was  only  too 
thankful  at  the  prospect  of  a  speedy  exit  from  "  this 
city  of  brigands  "  to  protest  too  strenuously  against 
the  role  thrust  upon  her  by  Felix. 

As  events  unrolled  themselves,  the  two  travelers  en- 
countered no  difficulty  in  leaving  Delgratz.  It  will 
be  remembered  that  Beliani's  foresight  had  provided 
them  with  return  tickets  to  Paris,  and  this  circum- 
stance aided  them  greatly.  In  those  closely  guarded 
lands  where^  keen  eyed  scrutineers  keep  watch  and 
ward  over  a  frontier,  the  production  of  the  return 
half  of  a  ticket  issued  in  the  same  city  as  a  passport 
at  once  lulls  any  doubt  that  might  arise  other- 
wise. 

Moreover,  Joan  and  Felix  occupied  separate  car- 
riages, and  the  Belgrade  officials,  concerned  only  with 
the  examination  of  tickets,  gave  no  heed  to  them, 
though  one  man  seemed  to  recognize  Felix  and 
grinned  in  a  friendly  way.  Passport  formalities  did 
not  trouble  them  till  the  train  had  crossed  the  Tave 
River  and  was  already  in  Austrian  territory.  The 
frontier  officers  could  not  possibly  know  them.  Their 
papers  were  in  order,  and  received  only  a  passing 
glance.  Even  Joan,  adrift  in  a  sea  of  trouble,  saw 
that  it  was  a  far  easier  matter  to  leave  the  Balkan 
area  than  to  enter  it. 

They  arranged  to  meet  in  the  dining  saloon,  when 
all  necessity  for  further  precaution  would  have  dis- 

234, 


Joan  Decides 

appeared.  Felix  was  astounded  at  the  self  possession 
Joan  now  displayed.  She  was  pale  but  quite  calm. 
Her  eyes  were  clear  and  showed  no  traces  of  grief. 
Even  her  very  manner  was  reverting  to  that  good 
humored  tone  of  frank  camaraderie  that  the  un- 
avoidable ceremoniousness  of  the  last  fortnight  had 
kept  in  subjection.  Felix  was  secretly  amazed  at 
these  things;  but  in  the  depths  of  his  own  complex 
nature  were  hidden  away,  wholly  unknown  to  the  little 
hunchback  himself,  certain  feminine  characteristics 
which  enabled  him  dimly  to  understand  that  the 
woman  who  suffers  most  is  she  who  has  the  strength 
and  the  courage  to  carry  her  head  most  proudly 
before  the  storm. 

"  Well,"  said  he  when  the  mail  train  had  left 
Semlin  far  behind  and  they  were  speeding  northward 
through  the  night  to  Budapest, — "  well,  Joan,  now 
that  the  severance  is  complete,  do  you  still  refuse  me 
your  confidence?  " 

Her  luminous  eyes  dwelt  on  his  with  a  sad  smile. 
She  had  closed  the  gates  of  her  paradise,  and  there 
was  to  be  no  faint  hearted  looking  backward. 

"  No,"  she  said,  "  I  have  attained  my  end.  It  is 
due  to  you,  my  friend,  that  I  should  tell  you  why 
I  have  abandoned  the  only  man  I  shall  ever  love. 
It  lay  with  me  to  choose  between  his  success  or 
failure ;  perhaps  there  rested  on  my  frail  shoulders 
the  more  dreadful  issues  of  life  and  death.  If  I 
had  married  Alec,  I  should  have  pulled  him  down 
to  ruin,  even  to  the  grave.  What  else  would  you 

235 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

have  me  do  but  save  him,  no  matter*  what  the  cost 
to  myself?  " 

He  propped  his  chin  on  his  hands  and  surveyed  her 
quizzically.  Felix,  despite  his  protests,  was  not 
enamoured  of  Delgratz,  and  his  mercurial  tempera- 
ment rejoiced  in  the  near  approach  of  his  beloved 
Paris. 

"  All  this  sounds  heroic  and  therefore  unconvin- 
cing," he  said.  "  I  do  not  want  to  condemn  your 
motives  before  I  know  them,  Joan ;  but  I  hope  you 
will  allow  me  to  criticize  false  sentiment,"  he  added, 
seeing  the  expression  of  pain  that  for  an  instant 
mastered  her  stoicism  and  threw  its  dull  shadow 
across  her  face. 

"  Say  what  pleases  you,  Felix,"  she  replied  gently. 
"  I  shall  not  suffer  more  than  I  have  already  en- 
dured. I  think  I  am  benumbed  now;  but  at  least  I 
am  sure  that  I  have  acted  right.  There  were  in- 
fluences at  work  in  Delgratz  of  which  even  you  had 
no  cognizance.  Popular  as  Alec  seemed  to  be,  every 
prejudice  of  the  Serb  was  arrayed  against  him.  He 
appealed  to  the  imagination  of  the  people  as  a  brave 
and  gallant  figure;  but  he  is  and  will  ever  remain 
a  foreigner  among  them.  They  are  a  race  apart, 
and  Alec  is  not  of  them,  and  it  would  have  been  a 
fatal  error  to  give  them  as  a  Queen  another  foreigner 
like  himself. 

"  Alone,  he  will  win  his  way.  In  the  course  of 
years  he  cannot  fail  to  identify  himself  more  and 
more  with  their  interests ;  he  will — some  day — marry 


Joan  Decides 

a  Princess  of  the  blood  to  which  he  belongs.  That 
will  help  Kosnovia  to  forget  that  he  was  neither  born 
nor  bred  in  the  country,  and  the  presence  of  a  Serbian 
consort  will  tend  to  consolidate  his  reign.  It  would 
have  been  quite  different  if  he  and  I  were  married 
within  a  few  weeks.  Those  who  are  opposed  to  him — 
and  they  are  far  more  numerous  than  you  may  guess 
at  this  moment — would  have  been  given  a  most  power- 
ful argument  by  the  refusal  of  the  Greek  archi- 
mandrite to  perform  the  ceremony.  You  see,  Alec 
himself  is  not  a  member  of  the  national  church,  nor 
am  I,  and  a  drawback  that  may  be  overlooked  when 
a  Slav  Princess  becomes  Queen  of  Kosnovia  would 
have  been  a  fatal  thing  for  me." 

Poluski  could  not  but  admire  Joan's  splendid  de- 
tachment in  speaking  of  Alec's  hypothetical  wife. 
His  thin  lips  creased  in  a  satirical  grin.  "  Is  that 
it,"  said  he,  "  the  everlasting  religious  difficulty  ? 
No,  my  belle,  tell  that  to  the  marines,  or,  at  any 
rate,  to  some  guileless  person  not  versed  in  Kos- 
novian  history!  There  never  yet  was  bloodstained 
conqueror  or  evil  living  Prince  in  that  unhappy  city 
of  Delgratz  who  failed  to  obtain  the  sanction  of 
orthodoxy  for  his  worst  deeds,  whether  in  beheading 
a  rival  or  divorcing  a  wife." 

Joan  hesitated.  She  was  obviously  choosing  her 
words ;  but  the  burden  laid  upon  her  was  too  great 
for  the  hour  to  prevent  her  from  adopting  a  subter- 
fuge that  would  surely  be  detected  by  her  shrewd 
companion.  "  I  do  not  wish  to  lay  too  much  stress 

237 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

upon  that  particulai  phase  of  the  matter,"  she  said 
at  last.  "  It  was  only  one  of  many.  In  itself  it 
might  have  been  surmounted;  but  when  the  church, 
a  large  section  of  the  army,  and  nearly  all  the  higher 
officials  of  the  State  are  ready  to  combine  against 
Alec's  uncompromising  sincerity  of  purpose,  it  was 
asking  too  much  of  me  knowingly  to  provide  the 
special  excuse  for  his  downfall." 

There  was  silence  for  a  little  while,  and  Poluski's 
keen  gray  eyes  still  dwelt  searchingly  on  the  girl's 
sorrow  laden  though  resigned  features.  She  did  not 
flinch  from  the  scrutiny,  and  there  was  a  certain 
sadness  in  the  Pole's  next  comment. 

"  What  you  say,  ma  petite,  sounds  very  like  the 
dry-as-dust  utterances  of  some  podgy  Minister  of 
State ;  they  are  far  from  being  the  words  of  a  woman 
who  loves,  and  so  they  are  not  yours." 

"  Perhaps  you  are  right,  Felix,"  she  said  wearily. 
"  Perhaps,  had  I  told  Alec  these  things,  he  might 
have  silenced  my  doubts  and  persuaded  me  to  dare 
everything  for  his  sake." 

"  Yet,  knowing  this,  you  are  here ! "  he  cried,  his 
conscience  stinging  him  at  the  memory  of  that  for- 
saken King  mourning  his  lost  bride. 

"  Yes,  and  no  consideration  would  induce  me  to 
return." 

"  Ah,  then  there  is  something  that  you  have  not 
yet  told  me." 

"  Yes,  and  it  can  never  be  told,  Felix.  Be  con- 
tent, my  friend,  with  that  assurance.  There  is  noth- 

238 


Joan  Decides 

ing  that  can  happen  which  has  the  power  to  change 
my  decision.  Heaven  help  me,  I  can  never  marry 
Alec!" 

"  The  true  cause  must  remain  a  secret ! " 

"  Yes." 

"  A  woman's  secret?  " 

"  Yes,  my  secret." 

His  eyes  sparkled.  He  bent  nearer  and  sank  his 
voice  to  a  deep  whisper,  for  there  were  others  in  the 
carriage,  and  that  which  he  had  to  say  must  reach 
her  ears  only. 

"  Not  yours,  Joan.  Oh,  no !  Not  yours.  An- 
other woman's.  Ha !  Blind  that  I  was — now  I  have 
it!  So  that  is  why  you  are  running  away.  They 
threatened  to  drag  Alec  headlong  from  the  throne 
unless  you  agreed.  My  poor  girl,  you  might  have 
told  me  sooner.  The  knowledge  has  been  here,  lurk- 
ing in  the  back  of  my  head  for  years ;  but  I  never 
gave  a  thought  to  it.  Why  should  I?  Who  would 
have  dreamed  of  such  a  tragicomedy?  Joan,  to-day 
in  the  cathedral  I  could  have  bound  you  with  ropes 
if  that  would  have  served  to  keep  you  in  Delgratz; 
but  now  I  kiss  the  hem  of  your  dress.  My  poor 
girl,  my  own  dear  Joan,  how  you  must  have  suffered ! 
Yet  I  envy  you — I  do,  on  my  soul !  Life  becomes 
ennobled  by  actions  such  as  yours.  And  Alec  must 
never  know  what  you  have  done  for  him.  That  is 
both  the  grandeur  and  the  pathos  of  it.  Joan,  my 
precious,  your  namesake  was  burnt  on  the  pyre  for 
a  King's  cause,  yet  her  deed  would  rank  no  higher 

239 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

than  yours  if  the  world  might  be  allowed  to  judge 
between  you.  But  do  not  dream  that  your  romance 
is  ended.  Saperlotte!  Old  Dame  Nature  is  a  better 
dramatist  than  that.  If  she  has  contrived  so  much 
for  you  in  a  little  month,  what  can  she  not  accomplish 
in  a  year?  " 

And,  in  a  perfect  frenzy  of  excitement,  he  threw 
himself  back  in  his  chair  and  amazed  another  group 
of  cosmopolitan  diners  by  singing. 

But  this  time  Joan  did  not  care  who  stared  or 
whispered.  She  sat  there,  a  beautiful  statue,  sorely 
stricken,  and  not  daring  to  believe  that  the  hour  of 
blessedness  promised  in  Poluski's  song  would  be 
vouchsafed  after  many  years  of  pain. 


240 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE  STORM  BREAKS 

THE  King  reached  his  temporary  residence  hot  and 
tired  after  an  exhausting  day.  It  chanced  that  at  a 
meeting  of  the  Ministry,  which  he  attended  late  in  the 
afternoon,  the  question  of  Beliani's  appointment  as 
Minister  of  Finance  came  up  for  settlement.  It  was 
not  determined  without  some  bickering,  and  an  under- 
current of  dislike  if  not  of  positive  hatred  of  the 
man  quickly  made  itself  apparent. 

The  Serb  and  the  Greek  differ  in  most  essentials. 
The  one  is  by  habit  and  training  a  good  soldier,  a 
proverbial  idler,  an  easygoing  optimist  endowed  with 
genial  temper  and  a  happy-go-lucky  nature,  capable 
indeed  of  extremes,  yet  mostly  inclined  to  the  tolerant 
indifference  that  leaves  things  as  they  are ;  the  other, 
whose  martial  qualities  have  vanished  in  the  melting 
pot  of  time,  has  developed  the  defensive  traits  that 
come  to  the  aid  of  all  races  who  can  no  longer  main- 
tain their  cause  in  the  tented  field.  The  Greek  is  the 
usurer  of  the  East.  He  wins  his  way  by  using  his 
subtle  wits,  and  the  less  adroit  people  on  whom  he 
preys  soon  learn  to  regard  him  with  distrust  that 
often  culminates  in  personal  violence  in  those  half- 

241 


civilized  communities  where  law  and  order  are  not 
maintained  with  a  heavy  hand. 

The  Kosnovian  Ministry,  of  course,  consisted  of 
men  of  a  much  higher  type  than  the  rude  peasantry 
that  made  up  the  bulk  of  the  nation.  But  at  heart 
they  were  anti-Greek,  and  some  among  them  retained 
lively  memories  of  Beliani's  methods  when  he  was  in 
power  a  decade  earlier.  No  one  disputed  his  ability, 
yet  none,  save  the  King,  had  a  good  word  for  him. 
It  was  recognized,  however,  that  under  the  new  do- 
minion his  opportunities  for  peculation  at  the  expense 
of  the  public  would  be  few  and  far  between. 

Alexis  III.  had  already  made  his  influence  felt  in 
each  department  of  State.  He  was  ready  to  listen  to 
every  man's  grievances,  and  to  adjust  them  if  possi- 
ble ;  he  held  the  scales  evenly  between  the  bureaucracy 
and  the  people.  The  official  element  knew  full  well 
that  it  had  nothing  to  fear  from  the  King's  anger  if  a 
disputed  action  could  be  justified,  while  those  traders 
and  others  who  had  occasion  to  deal  with  any  of  the 
great  departments  were  beginning  to  understand  that 
they  need  not  dread  the  vengeance  of  an  execu- 
tive against  whose  exactions  they  had  cause  to 
complain. 

After  some  discussion,  therefore,  a  guarded  sanc- 
tion was  given  to  Beliani's  appointment.  It  was 
probable  that  each  man  in  the  Council  had  already 
been  approached  in  the  Greek's  behalf,  and  that  the 
protests  uttered  were  rather  by  way  of  safety  valves 
in  view  of  possible  criticism  in  the  future  than 

242 


The  Storm  Breaks 

intended  to  exclude  this  dreaded  candidate  from 
office. 

The  matter  might  have  ended  there  for  the  mo- 
ment had  not  the  President  of  the  Assembly  given 
a  somewhat  maladroit  twist  to  the  discussion  when  the 
King  mentioned  Beliani's  efforts  with  regard  to  an 
Austrian  loan. 

"  That,  at  least,  we  should  oppose  most  bitterly," 
said  Nesimir.  "  We  of  the  Balkans  should  never  ac- 
cept favors  from  the  hand  of  Austria.  Our  true  ally 
is  Russia,  and  any  outside  aid  received  by  Kosnovia 
should  come  from  Russia  alone." 

Alec  had  learned  the  value  of  patience  with  medi- 
ocrities such  as  Sergius  Nesimir.  He  never  argued 
with  them.  He  contented  himself  with  pointing  out 
the  facts,  and  left  the  rest  to  time;  for  he  had  soon 
discovered  that  the  weak  man  talks  himself  into  agree- 
ment with  the  strong  one. 

"  I  would  remind  you  that  in  this  matter  we  are 
merely  entering  into  an  ordinary  business  arrange- 
ment," he  said.  "  I  have  heard  of  no  concessions  at- 
tached to  the  loan.  We  are  merely  going  into  the 
money  market  like  any  other  borrower,  and  will  un- 
dertake to  pay  such  reasonable  interest  as  the  lenders 
deem  compatible  with  the  security  we  offer." 

"  I  think  your  Majesty  will  find  that  Austria  will 
impose  her  own  terms,"  persisted  the  President. 

"  Why  do  you  harp  on  Austria  in  this  connec- 
tion ?  "  asked  the  King.  "  Monsieur  Beliani  spoke  of 
Viennese  bankers.  They  are  not  Austria.  This  loan 

243 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

is  not  so  much  a  matter  of  State  as  of  sound 
finance." 

"  I  hope  your  Majesty  is  right  in  that  assumption," 
was  the  stubborn  answer;  "  but  I  have  reason  to  be- 
lieve that,  under  certain  contingencies,  not  only  would 
Russia  assist  us  in  this  respect,  but  she  would  at  once 
take  steps  toward  recognizing  your  Majesty's  ac- 
cession to  the  throne." 

"  Contingencies !  "  cried  Alec,  forced  for  the  nonce 
to  maintain  the  discussion.  "  What  are  they  ? 
What  is  the  difference  between  your  suspected 
Austrian  terms  and  your  Russian  contingencies  ?  " 

"In  the  first  place,  your  Majesty,  Russia  is 
anxious  to  consolidate  the  good  feeling  that  exists 
among  the  Slav  nations  by  following  a  settled  policy 
in  the  matter  of  railway  communication.  Your 
Majesty's  own  projects  favor  the  Russian  proposals, 
whereas  Austria  will  surely  stipulate  that  any  money 
of  hers  expended  on  railways  shall  be  devoted  to  her 
rival  plans.  In  the  second " 

The  President  paused  and  looked  round  among  his 
colleagues  as  though  to  seek  their  encouragement. 
He  knew  he  was  about  to  utter  words  of  daring  sig- 
nificance, and  his  nerve  failed.  An  appreciative  mur- 
mur ran  through  the  room.  It  seemed  to  give  the 
stout  President  a  degree  of  confidence. 

"  Well?  "  said  the  King,  who  noted  the  glance  and 
the  hum  of  approval,  and  wondered  what  lay  behind  it 
all. 

"  The  really  vital  question  before  us  to-day  is  your 
244 


The  Storm  Breaks 

Majesty's  marriage,"  exclaimed  the  other,  paling 
somewhat,  now  that  the  fateful  topic  was  broached. 

"  I  agree  with  you,"  said  Alec,  smiling.  "  Its  im- 
portance to  myself  is  self  evident;  but  I  fail  utterly 
to  see  how  the  appearance  of  a  Queen  in  Delgratz 
will  affect  our  political  relations  with  our  neighbors. 
I  do  not  propose  to  borrow  money  from  Austria  to 
pay  for  my  wife's  wedding  presents." 

Nesimir  was  long  in  answering.  He  seemed  to  be 
waiting  for  some  other  member  of  the  Council  to  take 
part  in  the  discussion;  but  each  man  sat  silent  and 
embarrassed,  and  it  was  incumbent  on  their  leader  to 
declare  himself  anew. 

"  It  is  far  from  my  thoughts  to  wish  to  give  any 
offense  to  your  Majesty;  but  I  am  constrained  to  tell 
you,"  he  said,  "  that  there  is  a  growing  sentiment 
among  all  classes  of  your  subjects  that  when  you 
look  for  a  consort  you  should  seek  her  among  our 
kith  and  kin." 

"  Am  I  to  understand,  then,  that  the  lady  whom  I 
am  about  to  marry  has  not  found  favor  among  you  ?  " 

Alec  spoke  quietly ;  but  there  was  a  ring  of  steel  in 
his  voice  that  might  have  warned  a  bolder  man  than 
the  President.  His  stern  glance  traveled  round  the 
Council  table;  but  he  saw  only  downcast  and  somber 
faces.  One  thing  was  abundantly  clear, — this  at- 
tack on  Joan  was  premeditated.  He  wondered  who 
had  contrived  it. 

"  It  is  not  that  the  lady  does  not  command  our 
favor,"  declared  the  spokesman,  very  pale  now  and 

245  • 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

drumming  nervously  with  his  fingers  on  the  edge  of  a 
blotting  pad.  "  Those  of  us  who  have  met  her  are 
charmed  with  her  manners  and  appearance,  and  our 
only  regret  is  that  Providence  did  not  ordain  that 
her  birthplace  should  be  on  the  right  side  of  the 
Danube." 

"  Oddly  enough,  I  was  born  in  New  York,"  inter- 
rupted Alec,  with  a  touch  of  sarcasm  that  was  not  lost 
on  his  hearers. 

"  Your  Majesty  was  born  a  Belgrade,"  said  the 
President,  "  and  if  Miss  Joan  Vernon  could  claim 
even  the  remotest  family  connection  with  one  of  the 
leading  houses  of  Kosnovia,  Montenegro,  or  even  Bul- 
garia, every  man  here  would  hail  your  Majesty's 
choice  in  a  chorus  of  approval.'* 

"  Since  when  has  the  supposed  drawback  of  my  in- 
tended wife's  nationality  come  into  such  prom- 
inence? "  demanded  the  King  sharply. 

"  Since  it  became  known  that  your  Majesty  meant 
to  marry  a  lady  whose  avowed  object  in  coming  to 
Delgratz  was  to  follow  her  occupation  as  an  artist." 

Stampoff's  harsh  accents  broke  in  roughly  on  a 
discussion  which  had  hitherto  been  marked  by  polite 
deference  on  the  part  of  its  originator. 

"  What !  are  you  too  against  me,  General  ?  "  cried 
Alec,  wheeling  round  and  meeting  the  fierce  eyes  of 
the  old  patriot  who  sat  glaring  at  him  across  the 
Council  table. 

"  Yes,  in  that  matter,"  was  the  uncompromising 
answer.  "  We  feel  that  our  King  must  be  one  of 

246 


ourselves,  and  he  can  nev«r  be  that  if  his  wife  differs 
from  us  in  race,  in  language,  in  religion,  in  every- 
thing that  knits  a  ruler  to  his  subjects." 

Alec  arose  with  a  good  natured  laugh.  "  Mon- 
sieur Nesimir  spoke  of  contingencies,"  he  said,  "  and 
the  word  seems  to  imply  that  counter  proposals  to 
those  of  Monsieur  Beliani  have  already  been  put  for- 
ward. Has  the  Russian  Ambassador  been  conducting 
negotiations  with  my  Ministers  without  my  knowledge 
— behind  m}^  back,  as  it  were?  " 

"  There  is  no  taint  of  Muscovite  intrigue  about  my 
attitude !  "  exclaimed  Stampoff  with  a  vehemence  that 
showed  how  deeply  he  was  moved.  "  I  have  given  the 
best  years  of  my  life  to  my  country,  and  I  am  too  old 
now  to  be  forced  to  act  against  my  principles.  Every 
man  in  this  room  is  a  Slav,  and  we  Slavs  must  pull 
together  or  we  are  lost.  I,  at  any  rate,  am  not  afraid 
to  register  an  emphatic  protest  against  my  King's 
marriage  with  a  lady,  no  matter  how  estimable  per- 
sonally, whose  presence  in  Delgratz  as  our  Queen 
would  be  a  national  calamity.  If  I  speak  strongly,  it 
is  because  I  feel  so  strongly  in  this  matter.  The 
rulers  of  States  such  as  ours  cannot  afford  to  be 
swayed  by  sentiment.  When  your  Majesty  weds,  you 
ought  to  choose  your  wife  among  the  Princesses  of 
Montenegro.  Had  I  the  slightest  inkling  of  any 
other  design  on  your  part,  I  should  have  stipulated 
this  before  we  left  Paris." 

"  Ah,"  said  Alec  thoughtfully,  "  it  is  too  late  now, 
General,  to  talk  of  stipulations  that  were  not  made. 

247 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

And,  indeed,  one  might  reasonably  ask  who  empowered 
you  to  make  them?  " 

"  God's  bones !  who  should  speak  for  Kosnovia  if 
not  I?" 

"  Your  patriotism  has  never  been  questioned,  Gen- 
eral," said  Alec  with  a  friendly  smile;  but  Stampoff 
was  not  to  be  placated,  being  of  the  fiery  type  of  re- 
former who  refuses  to  listen  to  any  opinion  that  runs 
counter  to  his  own. 

He  too  rose  and  faced  the  Council.  "  What  has 
palsied  your  tongues  ?  "  he  cried.  "  You  were  all 
ready  enough  to  declare  your  convictions  before  the 
King  arrived.  He  is  here  now.  Tell  him,  then,  do 
you  approve  of  his  proposed  marriage — yes  or  no !  " 

Heads  were  shaken.  A  few  cried  "  No."  Alec 
saw  clearly  that  he  could  not  count  on  the  support  of 
one  among  those  present.  He  did  not  shirk  the  issue. 
He  determined  that  it  should  be  dealt  with  at  once  if 
possible.  If  not,  he  had  already  decided  on  his  own 
line  of  action. 

"  I  am  sorry  that  in  such  a  matter,  affecting,  as 
it  does,  the  whole  of  my  future  life,"  he  said,  "  I 
should  be  so  completely  at  variance  with  what  is  evi- 
dently the  common  view  of  my  trusted  friends  in  this 
Council ;  but  I  cannot  forget  that,  for  good  or  ill,  I 
am  King  of  Kosnovia,  while  you  may  rest  assured, 
gentlemen,  that  no  consideration  you  can  urge  will 
prevent  me  from  marrying  the  lady  of  my  choice. 
Of  course,  it  is  conceivable  that  my  kingship  and  my 
marriage  may  clash.  In  that  event  I  shall  take  the 

248 


The  Storm  Breaks 

consequences  of  my  action ;  I  must  even  justify  myself 
to  the  Assembly,  if  need  be.  It  is  well  that  the  Presi- 
dent should  have  made  me  acquainted  with  the  views 
you  all  hold  with  such  apparent  unanimity.  It  is 
also  well  that  you  should  be  aware  of  my  decision. 
Very  often,  when  men  think  they  have  reached  ab- 
solute disagreement,  a  way  opens  itself  unexpectedly 
whereby  the  difficulties  vanish.  In  this  instance,  cer- 
tainly, it  is  hard  to  see  how  any  solution  of  our  dis- 
pute can  be  attained  that  shall  satisfy  both  you  and 
me. 

"  I  shall  marry  Miss  Vernon,  probably  within  a 
fortnight.  I  shall  marry  her,  gentlemen,  even  though 
it  costs  me  my  throne;  but  I  would  remind  you  that 
we  in  this  room  are  not  Kosnovia.  Let  us  keep  our 
heads  and  guard  our  tempers.  If  an  appeal  is  to  be 
made  to  the  nation,  let  it  be  by  votes  rather  than  by 
swords.  I  have  never  deviated  from  my  fixed  prin- 
ciple that  I  would  sooner  pass  the  remainder  of  my 
life  poor  and  unknown  than  obtain  an  hour's  exten- 
sion of  my  rule  by  spilling  the  blood  of  an  unoffending 
people.  But  I  ask  from  you  the  same  concession  that 
I  am  willing  to  make  myself.  Until  deposed,  I  retain 
the  privilege  of  a  King.  Is  this  matter  to  be  re- 
garded as  a  test  of  ministerial  confidence?  Do  all 
you  gentlemen  resign  your  portfolios?  " 

The  President,  agitated  and  stuttering,  sprang  to 
his  feet.  "  For  my  part,"  he  declared,  "  I  expressed 
my  views  in  an  informal  manner." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  agreed  several  voices.  The  turn  given 
249 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

to  the  discussion  by  Alec  was  quite  unforeseen  and  far 
from  their  liking. 

"  It  has  ever  been  your  Majesty's  wish  that  we 
should  state  our  opinions  fully  and  freely,"  con- 
tinued the  agitated  Nesimir.  "  I,  for  one,  was  only 
anxious  to  make  known  to  you  the  sentiments  that  ob- 
tain currency  in  my  own  circle.  I  may  be  wrong. 
Delgratz  is  not  Kosnovia " 

"  Rubbish ! "  shouted  Stampoff ,  hammering  the 
table  with  a  clenched  fist.  "  That  which  has  been 
said  here  to-day  will  be  heard  openly  in  the  streets 
of  the  capital  to-night.  To-morrow  it  will  be 
preached  far  and  wide  throughout  the  confines  of  the 
country  by  every  man  who  has  its  welfare  at  heart. 
This  marriage  must  not  take  place,  I  say!  I  came 
here  from  exile  with  the  King  and  was  prepared  to 
give  my  life  to  establish  him  on  the  throne.  I  am 
prepared  now  to  offer  the  same  poor  sacrifice  if  it  will 
save  my  beloved  land  from  a  catastrophe — and  this 
proposed  mesalliance  is  nothing  less !  " 

A  curious  thrill  convulsed  the  Council.  Every 
Serb  there  was  stirred  by  the  General's  bold  avowal ; 
but  Alec  stilled  the  rising  storm  by  a  calm  announce- 
ment: 

"  I  suggest  that  we  defer  this  discussion  till  to- 
morrow morning,"  he  said.  "  It  has  found  me  un- 
prepared, and,  if  I  am  not  very  much  mistaken,  many 
of  the  gentlemen  here  did  not  anticipate  that  the  ques- 
tion would  be  raised  to-day  in  its  present  acute  form.'* 

It  was  evident  that  the  majority  of  ministers  fa- 
250 


The  Storm  Breaks 

vored  the  adoption  of  the  King's  proposal;  but 
Stampoff  scowled  at  them  angrily  and  drowned  their 
timorous  agreement  by  his  resentful  cry : 

"  God's  bones !     Why  wait  till  to-morrow?  " 

Then,  indeed,  Alec  was  stung  beyond  endurance. 
"  Perhaps,  in  the  circumstances,  General,"  he  said, 
"  it  would  be  advisable  that  you  should  absent  your- 
self from  to-morrow's  Council." 

"  Not  while  I  am  Minister  for  War ! "  came  the 
fiery  response. 

"  That  is  for  you  to  decide,"  said  the  King. 

"  Then  I  decide  now !     I  resign !  " 

"  Excellent !  By  that  means  you  salve  your  con- 
science; whereas  I  hope  still  to  retain  the  friend- 
ship of  Kosnovia's  most  faithful  son  by  refusing  to 
accept  your  resignation." 

A  shout  of  applause  drowned  Stampoff's  vehement 
protest,  and  Alec  seized  the  opportunity  to  hurry 
from  the  Council  chamber.  He  did  not  try  to  conceal 
from  himself  the  serious  nature  of  this  unexpected 
crisis,  though  he  was  far  from  acknowledging  that 
the  people  at  large  attached  such  significance  to  his 
wife's  nationality  as  Stampoff  and  the  others  pro- 
fessed to  believe.  Puzzle  his  wits  as  he  might,  and 
did,  he  failed  utterly  to  account  for  Stampoff's  un- 
compromising tone.  The  old  Serb  and  he  were  the 
best  of  friends.  He  had  taken  no  single  step  with- 
out first  consulting  the  man  who  had  been  his  political 
tutor  since  his  boyhood.  Even  when  he  ran  counter 
to  Stampoff's  advice,  he  had  always  listened  to  it 

251 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

eagerly,  and  he  invariably  took  the  utmost  pains  to 
show  why  he  had  adopted  another  course. 

Till  that  day  there  had  never  been  the  shadow  of 
a  breach  between  them.  How,  then,  was  the  War 
Minister's  irreconcilable  attitude  to  be  explained? 
Was  Cousin  Julius  pulling  the  strings  in  some  un- 
recognized manner?  Was  Beliani  a  party  to  the 
scheme?  These  questions  must  be  answered,  and 
speedily.  Meanwhile,  by  hook  or  by  crook,  he  must 
keep  all  knowledge  of  the  dispute  from  Joan's  ears 
until  after  the  wedding. 

In  the  palace  courtyard  a  man  standing  near  the 
gates  tried  to  pass  the  sentries  when  the  King  ar- 
rived. He  was  instantly  collared.  Undersized, 
poorly  clad,  and  poverty  stricken  in  appearance,  he 
was  hustled  unmercifully  by  a  stalwart  Albanian  po- 
liceman until  Alec's  attention  was  drawn  to  the 
scuffle. 

A  white  despairing  face  became  visible  for  a  mo- 
ment, and  a  choking  voice  cried,  "  Save  me,  your 
Majesty !  I  am  John  Sobieski !  " 

"  Sobieski !  "  thought  Alec,  ordering  his  carriage  to 
stop  and  alighting  quickly.  "  That  is  the  Polish 
hotel  waiter  of  whom  Felix  spoke  to  me  some  few 
days  ago.  He  said  the  man  had  done  his  best  to 
bring  assistance;  but  his  efforts  were  frustrated  by 
some  stupid  blunder  here,  and  he  thought  something 
ought  to  be  done  for  him.  I  promised  to  attend  to 
it ;  but  the  thing  slipped  my  mind." 

By  this  time  he  had  reached  the  policeman,  who,  as- 
252 


The  Storm  Breaks 

sisted  by  a  soldier,  was  dragging  the  protesting  waiter 
to  the  guardroom. 

"  Release  that  man !  "  he  said. 

The  man  saluted,  and  the  trembling  Sobieski  fell 
on  his  knees  on  the  pavement. 

"  Oh.  get  up,"  said  the  King,  who  felt  a  special 
aversion  to  such  a  display  of  abasement.  "  Recover 
your  wits,  man,  and  tell  me  what  you  want !  " 

"  I  ask  protection,  your  Majesty,"  murmured  the 
desperate  Sobieski.  "  My  life  is  in  danger.  I  came 
here  to  see  Monsieur  Poluski ;  but  they  told  me  he  was 
not  at  home.  I  have  been  turned  out  of  my  situa- 
tion; so  I  have  nowhere  to  go.  If  I  am  found  wan- 
dering in  the  streets  to-night,  I  shall  be  killed." 

"  At  any  rate,  you  seem  to  be  thoroughly  fright- 
ened," cried  Alec  with  a  reassuring  smile.  "  Take 
charge  of  him,"  he  said  to  the  pandur,  "  and  have 
him  sent  to  my  bureau  in  five  minutes ! " 

The  bureau  in  question  was  that  apartment  on  the 
first  floor  overlooking  the  courtyard,  in  which  Alec 
had  preferred  his  claim  to  the  throne  of  Kosnovia  to 
the  perplexed  President  of  the  embryo  Republic.  It 
was  there,  too,  that  Felix  Poluski  had  spoken  those 
plain  words  to  Prince  Michael  Delgrado,  and  its  situ- 
ation was  so  convenient  for  the  King's  daily  comings 
and  goings  that  he  had  utilized  it  temporarily  as  an 
office  and  private  audience  chamber. 

At  the  top  of  the  stairs  he  happened  to  catch  sight 
of  Pauline,  Joan's  staid  looking  maid.  Though  he 
obtained  only  a  casual  glimpse  of  her,  he  fancied  that 

253 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

she  was  distressed  about  something,  and  it  occurred 
to  him  after  he  was  in  the  room  and  the  door  was 
closed  that  perhaps  she  wished  to  give  him  a  message. 
Bosko,  the  taciturn  Albanian  whom  he  had  now 
definitely  appointed  as  his  confidential  attendant, 
was  standing  near  the  table  with  a  bundle  of  docu- 
ments that  demanded  the  King's  signature. 

Realizing  that  the  Frenchwoman  would  meet  Bosko 
in  a  minute  or  two  when  he  went  out  with  the  signed 
papers,  and  could  then  make  known  her  wish  to  speak 
to  the  King  if  such  was  her  intention,  Alec  bent  over 
the  table  and  began  to  peruse  several  departmental 
decrees  hurriedly.  He  made  it  a  rule  never  to  ap- 
pend his  name  to  any  State  paper  without  mastering 
its  contents,  and  one  of  the  palace  guards  brought  in 
Sobieski  before  Alec  had  concluded  his  self  imposed 
task.  As  it  happened,  the  various  items  were  mere 
formalities,  and  when  he  wrote  "  Alexis  R."  for  the 
last  time,  Bosko  and  the  soldier  left  the  room,  and  the 
frightened  little  Pole  found  himself  alone  with  the 
King. 

"  Now,"  said  Alec  kindly,  "  tell  me  what  you  want 
and  why  you  are  so  afraid  ?  " 

Sobieski  at  once  plunged  into  a  rambling  state- 
ment. He  spoke  the  Kosnovian  language  with  the 
fluent  inaccuracy  of  his  class;  but  Alec's  alert  ears 
had  no  difficulty  in  following  his  meaning.  His  story 
was  that  several  customers  of  the  cafe  had  denounced 
him  to  the  proprietor  as  a  spy  in  the  King's  service, 
while  some  of  them  went  so  far  as  to  charge  him 

254 


The  Storm  Breaks 

with  responsibility  for  the  deaths  of  those  thirty- 
one  heroes  of  the  Seventh  Regiment  whose  bodies  had 
been  found  on  the  stairs  and  first  floor  landing  of  the 
hotel.  His  master  had  no  option  but  to  discharge 
him,  and  Sobieski  felt  that  he  had  good  reason  to  fear 
that  his  life  was  in  danger.  Alec  pooh-poohed  the 
notion;  but  the  timid  little  waiter  was  so  woebegone 
that  the  King  pitied  him. 

"  Tell  me  exactly  what  you  did  on  the  day  of  the 
revolt,"  he  said.  "  You  came  here,  I  understand. 
How  was  it  that  no  one  listened  to  you?  " 

"  Oh,  they  did,  your  Majesty,"  protested  Sobieski. 
"  Your  Majesty's  own  father  brought  me  into  the 
hall  and  kept  me  there  nearly  five  minutes.  He  did 
not  believe  a  word  I  said,  and  was  very  angry  with 
me  for  bringing  such  an  alarming  story  to  the  palace. 
At  last,  by  good  fortune,  Monsieur  Nesimir  appeared ; 
but  even  then  I  should  have  been  taken  away  in  cus- 
tody if  Monsieur  Poluski  had  not  caused  me  to  be 
released." 

Despite  its  sinister  significance,  Alec  could  not 
choose  but  credit  this  amazing  statement.  He  won- 
dered why  Felix  had  not  told  him  the  facts  in  detail 
afterward;  but  he  knew  that  the  hunchback's  mind 
worked  in  strange  grooves,  and  it  was  probable  that 
his  silence  was  dictated  by  some  powerful  motive. 
In  any  event,  the  incident  was  an  unpleasant  re- 
minder of  certain  nebulous  doubts  that  he  had  striven 
to  crush,  and  it  was  better  that  this  scared  rabbit  of 
a  man  should  not  remain  in  Delgratz  and  become  the 

255 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

victim  of  some  vendetta  which  might  bring  the  whole 
odd  story  into  prominence. 

"You  want  to  leave  the  city,  I  take  it?  "  said  he 
after  a  thoughtful  pause,  in  which  he  took  a  slow 
turn  up  and  down  the  room. 

"  I  dare  not  remain  here  any  longer,  your  Majesty. 
I  came  to-night  to  ask  Monsieur  Poluski  to  be  good 
enough  to  give  me  money  to  take  me  to  Warsaw." 

"  I  think,"  said  Alec,  smiling,  "  he  promised  you, 
in  my  name,  the  wherewithal  to  buy  a  cafe." 

"  I  fear  I  did  not  earn  my  reward,  your  Majesty," 
stuttered  the  other. 

"Are  cafes  dear  in  Warsaw?"  said  the  King,  un- 
locking a  drawer  and  producing  roubles  to  the  equiv- 
alent of  five  hundred  dollars.  "  Here,  this  sum 
should  give  you  a  fresh  start  in  life.  All  I  ask  in 
return  is  that  you  shall  keep  a  still  tongue  about 
your  recent  share  in  local  events." 

Poor  Sobieski's  gratitude  grew  incoherent,  espe- 
cially when  the  King  handed  him  over  to  the  care  of 
the  attendant  who  had  brought  him  to  the  bureau, 
with  instructions  that  he  was  to  be  taken  to  the  rail- 
way station  and  safeguarded  there  till  the  departure 
of  the  next  train  that  crossed  the  frontier. 

By  that  time  the  dinner  hour  was  long  past.  Alec 
was  disinclined  for  a  heavy  meal;  so  he  went  to  his 
private  suite,  where  he  changed  his  clothes,  content- 
ing himself  with  some  sandwiches,  which  he  ate  in  a 
hurry  and  washed  down  with  a  glass  of  red  wine. 

Coming  down  stairs  about  an  hour  later,  he  passed 
256 


The  Storm  Breaks 

the  smoking-room.  The  door  was  open,  and  he  saw 
that  the  men  had  already  ended  dinner.  He  was 
about  to  enter  the  music  salon,  to  which  his  mother 
and  Joan  usually  retired  with  the  President's  wife 
and  daughter,  when  he  met  Pauline  for  the  second 
time,  and  the  Frenchwoman  now  approached  him 
with  the  same  marked  nervousness  in  her  demeanor 
that  he  had  noticed  when  he  saw  her  standing  in  the 
lobby. 

"  May  i  have  a  word  with  your  Majesty  in  pri- 
vate? "  she  asked. 

He  was  surprised;  but  again  he  believed  she  was 
probably  bringing  a  message  from  Joan.  He  threw 
open  the  door  of  his  office.  "  Come  in  here,"  he  said. 
"What  is  it?" 

She  held  out  a  letter,  and  he  saw  that  her  hand 
shook.  "  Mademoiselle  asked  me  to  give  you  this, 
your  Majesty,"  she  said.  "  I  was  to  take  care  that 
you  were  alone  when  you  received  it." 

"  Something  important  then,"  he  said  with  a  laugh. 

Crossing  the  room  to  the  table  on  which  stood  the 
lamp  by  whose  light  he  had  scribbled  "  Alexis  R."  on 
the  papers  intrusted  to  Bosko,  he  opened  the  en- 
velop, which  bore  in  Joan's  handwriting  the  simple 
superscription,  "  Alec,"  and  began  to  read : 

MY  DEAE  ONE: — When  Pauline  gives  you  this,  I  shall  have 
left  you  forever.  I  am  going  from  Delgratz,  and  I  shall 
never  see  you  again.  I  cannot  marry  you — but  oh,  my  dear, 
my  dear,  I  shall  love  you  all  my  life!  Try  and  forget  me. 
I  am  acting  for  the  best.  Do  not  write  to  Paris  or  endeavor 

257 


to   find  me.     If  it  is  God's  will,  we  shall  never  meet   again. 
I  can  scarcely  see  what  I  am  writing  for  my  tears.     So  good- 
by,  my  Alec!     Be  brave!     Forgive  me,  and,  in  the  years  to 
come,  try  to  forget  our  few  days  of  happiness  together. 
Yours  ever, 

JOAN. 


He  stood  there  stricken,  almost  paralyzed  with  the 
suddenness  of  the  blow,  wondering  dumbly  why  Joan's 
hand  should  have  inflicted  it.  The  frightened 
Frenchwoman  dared  not  speak  or  move.  She 
watched  him  with  that  impersonal  fear  so  readily 
aroused  in  one  of  her  class  by  the  terrifying  spectacle 
of  a  strong  man  in  his  agony.  At  last  he  moved 
listlessly,  as  though  his  limbs  had  just  been  released 
from  the  rack.  He  held  the  letter  under  the  lamp 
again  and  read  it  a  second  time,  word  for  word.  He 
seemed  to  be  forcing  himself  to  accept  it  as  truth. 
This  young  King,  so  valiant,  so  resourceful,  so 
prompt  in  action  and  judgment,  could  devise  no  plan, 
no  means  of  rescue  from  the  abyss.  After  an  inter- 
val that  neither  the  man  nor  the  woman  could  meas- 
ure, he  turned  his  strained,  staring  eyes  on  the  shrink- 
ing Pauline. 

"  Have  I  ever  done  you  any  harm  ?  "  he  said  in  the 
low  voice  of  utmost  despair. 

"Me,  monsieur?"  she  gasped.  "You  harm  me? 
No,  indeed,  I  was  only  too  proud  to  think  my  dear 
mistress  should  have  won  such  a  husband." 

"  Then  you  will  answer  my  questions  truly,"  he 
went  on,  his  eyes  devouring  the  woman's  homely 

258 


The  Storm  Breaks 

features  as  though  he  would  fain  seek  some  comfort 
therein. 

"  Oh  yes,  indeed,  monsieur.  Ask  me  anything.  It 
is  not  that  I  have  much  to  tell.  Mademoiselle  said, 
'  Give  this  letter  to  the  King  himself.  Let  it  touch 
no  other  hand.'  That  is  all,  monsieur.  She  was 
weeping  when  she  wrote  it.  Monsieur  Poluski  told 
me  what  to  do  to-morrow  about  my  own  journey. 
See,  here  are  my  tickets." 

"  Poluski ! "  said  Alec,  and  the  words  came  dully. 
"  Has  he  too  betrayed  me  ?  " 

"  He  has  gone  with  my  mistress,"  sobbed  Pauline. 
"  It  is  not  that  they  have  betrayed  you,  monsieur ; 
for  mademoiselle  looked  like  to  die,  and  I  have  never 
seen  any  one  more  disturbed  than  Monsieur  Poluski. 
He  raved  like  a  maniac  when  I  asked  him  for  one 
word  of  explanation." 

"  But  what  does  it  mean,  woman  ?  Do  you  un- 
derstand what  has  happened  ?  My  promised  wife  has 
fled,  bidding  me  not  to  dream  of  seeing  her  again, 
and  with  her  has  gone  one  of  the  few  men  alive  in 
whom  I  had  confidence.  What  is  that  but  betrayal  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  profess  to  understand  the  ways  of 
courts,  monsieur,"  said  Pauline,  gathering  a  little 
courage,  since  the  King  appealed  to  her  as  a  fellow 
mortal.  "  But  in  your  case  I  do  not  think  I  should 
blame  Mademoiselle  Joan.  She  did  not  go  because 
she  had  ceased  to  love  you,  monsieur.  Sometimes  a 
woman  can  love  a  man  so  well  that  she  will  leave  him 
if  she  thinks  it  is  for  his  good." 

259 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

A  light  broke  in  on  the  darkness.  Was  Joan  the 
victim  of  some  deadly  intrigue  such  as  had  sullied 
too  often  the  records  of  the  Kosnovian  monarchy? 
How  strange  it  was  that  he  should  come  from  that 
eventful  meeting  of  the  Cabinet  and  receive  within  the 
hour  Joan's  pathetic  message  of  farewell !  He  stood 
and  thought  deeply  again  for  many  minutes,  striving 
to  conquer  his  laboring  heart  and  throbbing  brain, 
exerting  manfully  all  his  splendid  resources  of  mind 
,  and  body.  Then  he  turned  to  the  trembling  French- 
woman and  said  with  almost  uncanny  gentleness: 

"  You  have  done  what  your  mistress  asked,  Pauline. 
Come  to  me  to-morrow  before  you  go,  and  I  will  re- 
ward you  for  your  faithful  service.  Leave  me  now : 
but  tell  none  what  has  happened.  I  must  have  time 
to  think,  and  it  would  help  me  if  no  other  person  in 
this  house  but  you  shares  with  me  the  knowledge  of 
mademoiselle's  departure." 

Pauline  went  out,  glad  of  her  dismissal,  yet  sobbing 
with  sympathy.  Alec  began  to  pace  the  length  of 
the  long  dimly  lighted  room.  Back  and  forth  he 
went,  thinking,  knitting  his  brows  in  fierce  effort  to 
subdue  his  stunned  faculties.  By  degrees  the  sad 
significance  of  Joan's  words  and  actions  during  their 
visit  that  morning  to  the  New  Konak  began  to  estab- 
lish itself.  He  saw  now  that  she  was  bidding  fare- 
well to  her  dream  of  happiness,  deliberately  torturing 
herself  with  a  burden  of  memories.  Even  their  part- 
ing kiss  must  have  given  her  a  twinge  of  direst  agony ; 
for  the  one  thing  he  would  never  believe  of  Joan  was 

260 


The  Storm  Breaks 

that  she  had  sacrificed  .him  to  some  feminine  whim, 
made  him  the  sport  of  a  woman's  caprice. 

She  had  been  driven  from  him!  By  whom?  He 
must  discover  that,  and  he  gloated  with  almost  in- 
sensate rage  at  the  thought  of  strangling  with  his 
hands  the  wretch  who  had  done  this  callous  deed. 
Physical  passion  mastered  him  again,  and  it  was  not 
until  he  realized  the  folly  of  merely  dreaming  of 
vengeance  that  he  forced  himself  anew  into  a  sem- 
blance of  calm.  He  knew  that  a  man  blinded  with 
rage  could  not  deal  sanely  with  this  problem  of  love 
and  statecraft.  At  first  he  thought  of  questioning 
individually  each  person  who,  by  the  remotest  chance, 
might  be  responsible  for  Joan's  flight.  But  not  only 
did  his  impatient  heart  spurn  that  slower  method  of 
inquisition ;  but  he  realized  that  he  was  more  likely 
to  discover  the  truth  by  gathering  instantly  in  one 
room  all  those  persons  whose  self  interest  pointed  to 
his  undoing.  Somehow,  Sobieski's  disjointed  nar- 
rative aroused  a  dreadful  suspicion  that  was  not  to  be 
quelled. 

He  summoned  an  attendant.  "  Ask  Prince  and 
Princess  Delgrado  to  come  here,"  he  said.  "  Send  to 
General  Stampoff  and  tell  him  that  the  King  urgently 
desires  his  presence.  I  believe  that  Monsieur  Beliani 
and  Count  Julius  Marulitch  are  in  the  smoking  room 
with  Monsieur  Nesimir.  Ask  those  three  gentlemen 
also  to  join  me." 

The  attendant  saluted  and  withdrew.  Alec  exam- 
ined the  door  to  make  sure  that  the  key  was  in  the 

261 


lock.  Hardly  conscious  of  his  own  purpose,  he 
looked  about  for  a  weapon.  In  the  place  of  honor, 
above  the  fireplace,  hung  the  sword  given  him  by  his 
father  in  the  Rue  Boissiere.  It  evoked  bitter  mem- 
ories, and  he  swung  on  his  heel  with  a  curse,  going  to 
the  window  and  staring  out  into  the  night.  His  brain 
seethed  with  strange  imaginings,  and  his  breast  was 
on  fire.  The  sight  of  that  ridiculous  sword  lying  in 
its  sheath  of  velvet  and  gold  seemed  to  reveal  the 
hollowness  of  life,  its  mock  tragedies,  its  real  agony 
of  tears.  All  at  once  the  impulse  seized  him  to  look 
at  the  bright  steel.  With  a  savage  laugh  he  sprang 
back  across  the  room  and  took  down  the  sword.  The 
blade  leaped  forth  at  his  clutch,  and  he  kissed  it  in  a 
frenzy. 

"  You  weep,  my  Joan,"  he  cried.  "  I  know  that 
you  weep ;  but  your  tempter's  lying  heart  shall  shed 
drop  for  drop !  " 


262 


CHAPTER  XIII 

WHEREIN  A  REASON  IS  GIVEN  FOR  JOAN*S  FLIGHT 

A  KNOCK  sounded  on  the  door.  "  Their  Excel- 
lencies the  Prince  and  Princess  Delgrado,"  announced 
Bosko,  whose  jaws  underwent  strange  contortions  at 
being  compelled  to  utter  so  many  syllables  consecu- 
tively. 

Alec  thrust  the  sword  into  its  scabbard.  He  did 
not  put  the  weapon  in  its  accustomed  place ;  but  hid 
it  behind  a  fold  of  one  of  the  heavy  curtains  that 
shrouded  the  windows. 

"  On  the  arrival  of  the  others  whom  I  have  sum- 
moned you  can  usher  them  in  without  warning,"  he 
said  to  Bosko.  "  As  soon  as  General  Stampoff  comes 
let  no  other  person  enter,  and  remain  near  the  door 
until  I  call  you." 

"Oui,  monsieur,"  said  Bosko.  King  or  no  King, 
he  was  faithful  to  his  scanty  stock  of  French. 

Prince  Michael  had  dined  well,  having  induced  his 
host  to  depart  from  the  King's  injunctions  as  to  the 
wine  supplied  at  meals.  His  puffed  face  shone  redly. 
It  looked  so  gross  and  fat,  perched  on  such  a  slender 
frame,  that  he  resembled  one  of  those  diminutive  yet 

263 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

monstrous  caricatures  of  humanity  seen  on  the  pan- 
tomime stage. 

*  What  is  the  trouble  now,  Alec  ?  "  he  asked,  glan- 
cing quickly  round  the  spacious  ill  lighted  apartment. 
"  Your  man  came  to  me  most  mysteriously.  His 
manner  suggested  treasons,  spoils,  and  stratagems. 
I  met  your  mother  on  the  stairs.  She  too,  it  seems, 
is  in  demand." 

Alec  looked  at  the  strange  little  creature  whom  he 
called  father,  and  from  the  Prince's  gargoyle  head 
his  gaze  dwelt  on  his  mother.  She  had  uttered  no 
word.  Her  eyes  met  his  furtively  for  a  second  and 
then  dropped.  She  was  disturbed,  obviously  alarmed, 
and,  with  a  curiously  detached  feeling  of  surprise,  he 
guessed  that  she  knew  of  Joan's  departure.  Well, 
he  would  bide  his  time  until  all  possible  conspirators 
were  present.  Then,  by  fair  means  or  foul,  he  would 
wring  the  truth  from  them. 

"  I  want  to  consult  my  mother  and  you  as  to  a  cer- 
tain matter,"  he  said,  answering  Prince  Michael  with 
apparent  nonchalance.  "  I  shall  not  detain  you  very 
long.  Beliani,  Julius,  and  Monsieur  Nesimir  are  in 
the  building,  and  then  we  only  await  Stampoff — with 
whom,  by  the  way,  I  almost  succeeded  in  quarreling 
to-day." 

"  A  quarrel  with  Stampoff ! "  exclaimed  the  elder 
Delgrado,  preening  his  chest  and  sticking  out  his 
chin  in  the  exaggerated  manner  that  warned  those 
who  knew  him  best  of  the  imminent  expression  of  a 
weighty  opinion.  "That  will  never  do.  Stampoff 

264 


The  Reason  for  Joan's  Flight 

is  the  backbone  of  your  administration.  Were  it  not 
for  our  dear  Paul,  nothing  would  have  been  heard 
of  a  Delgrado  in  Kosnovia  during  the  last  quarter 
of  a  century.  My  dear  boy,  he  has  kept  us  alive 
politically.  On  no  account  can  you  afford  to  quarrel 
with  Stampoff !  " 

Michael's  big  head  wagged  wisely;  for  champagne 
invariably  made  him  talkative.  Nesimir  entered; 
with  him  came  Count  Julius  and  the  Greek. 

"  Nice  thing  his  Majesty  has  just  told  me!  "  cried 
Prince  Michael,  with  owl-like  gravity.  "  He  says 
that  Stampoff  and  he  have  disagreed.  What  has 
gone  wrong?  Have  you  heard  of  this  most  un- 
fortunate estrangement,  Monsieur  Nesimir?  " 

The  President,  of  course,  assumed  that  some  allu- 
sion had  been  made  already  to  the  scene  in  the 
Council  chamber. 

"  A  serious  position  has  undoubtedly  arisen,"  he 
said  blandly.  "  His  Majesty  did  not  see  his  way 
clear  to  adopt  certain  recommendations  put  forward 
by  his  Ministers  to-day, — by  myself,  I  may  say,  act- 
ing on  behalf  of  my  colleagues,"  and  he  coughed 
deferentially, — "  and  General  Stampoff  took  an 
active  part  in  the  debate.  He  set  forth  his  views  with 
— er — what  I  considered  to  be — er — unnecessary 
vehemence.  But  there,"  and  a  flourish  of  his  hand  in- 
dicated the  nebulous  nature  of  the  dispute,  "  nothing 
was  said  that  cannot  be  mended.  His  Majesty  him- 
self had  the  tact  to  adjourn  the  discussion  till  to- 
morrow, and  I  have  little  doubt  that  we  shall  all  be 

265 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

prepared  to  consider  the  matter  then  like  reasonable 
men." 

"  But  what  was  it  about  ?  "  broke  in  the  Prince 
testily.  "  Was  it  with  reference  to  Monsieur  Beliani? 
I  understood  that  his  appointment  to  the  Ministry 
of  Finance  was  agreed  to  unanimously." 

Beliani  coughed,  with  the  modesty  of  a  man  who 
might  not  discuss  his  own  merits.  The  President  hesi- 
tated before  he  answered  this  direct  question.  He 
cast  a  doubtful  glance  on  the  King,  who  had  turned 
to  the  window  again  and  seemed  to  give  little  heed  to 
the  conversation.  But  Alee  wheeled  round.  He  had 
heard  every  word,  and,  oddly  enough  in  his  own 
estimation,  was  already  drawing  conclusions  that 
were  not  wholly  unfavorable  to  Prince  Michael. 

"  I  have  sent  for  Stampoff,"  he  said,  exercising 
amazing  self  control  in  concealing  his  fierce  desire 
to  have  done  with  subterfuge,  "  and  my  message  was 
couched  in  such  terms  that  he  will  hardly  refuse  to 
honor  us  with  his  presence.  Meanwhile,  let  me  rescue 
you,  Monsieur  Nesimir,  from  the  embarrassment  of 
explaining  away  the  difficulty  you  yourself  brought 
about  at  to-day's  meeting  of  the  Cabinet.  Monsieur 
Beliani  had  no  rival ;  no  one  doubted  his  ability  as  a 
financier. 

"  The  dispute  arose  in  connection  with  my  forth- 
coming marriage.  It  was  suggested  that  I  should 
contract  an  alliance  with  a  Princess  of  some  reigning 
house  in  the  Balkans.  The  obvious  corollary  of  that 
view  was  that  Miss  Joan  Vernon  could  not  be  re- 

266 


The  Reason  for  Joan's  Flight 

garded  as  a  suitable  bride  for  the  King  of  Kosnovia. 
I  declined  to  accept  the  recommendation  put  forward 
by  Monsieur  Nesimir, — to  whom,  by  the  way,  I  at- 
tribute the  utmost  good  faith, — and  Stampoff,  whose 
patriotic  ardor  halts  at  nothing,  practically  threat- 
ened me  with  the  loss  of  my  Kingdom  as  the  penalty 
of  disobedience.  I  said  that  I  was  quite  willing  to 
leave  the  whole  matter  to  the  arbitrament  of  the  peo- 
ple. If  they  decide  against  my  choice  of  a  wife,  it 
follows  that  there  will  be  a  vacancy  in  the  Delgrado 
succession." 

Princess  Delgrado  uttered  a  sigh  that  was  almost  a 
groan.  She  sank  into  the  chair  that  her  son  had  of- 
fered her  when  she  entered  the  room,  but  rose  to  her 
feet  again  in  manifest  anxiety  when  her  husband 
thrust  himself  in  front  of  Alec. 

"  Are  we  to  credit,"  he  broke  in  furiously,  "  that 
you  have  actually  placed  your  marriage  with  this  girl 
before  every  tie  of  family  and  patrimony  ?  " 

"  That  is  hardly  a  fair  statement  of  the  facts," 
said  Alec  coldly,  though  it  cost  him  a  violent  effort  to 
sustain  this  unnatural  calm  when  he  was  aflame  with 
desire  to  ascertain  Joan's  motive ;  "  but  it  will  serve. 
At  any  rate,  we  can  defer  discussion  of  that  point 
for  the  present.  We  are  gathered  here  to  deal  with 
quite  another  phase  of  the  dispute,  and,  with  your 
permission,  I  shall  leave  any  further  explanation  un- 
til General  Stampoff  has  arrived." 

Although  his  utterance  was  measured  and  seem- 
ingly devoid  of  any  excess  of  feeling,  three,  at  least,  of 

267 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

those  in  the  room  were  not  deceived  by  his  attitude. 
Princess  Delgrado  seemed  to  be  profoundly  dis- 
quieted, while  Beliani  and  Marulitch  strove,  not  alto- 
gether with  success,  to  carry  themselves  with  the  in- 
difference that  cloaks  uneasiness.  Alec  turned  again 
to  the  window  and  looked  out. 

A  carriage  drove  into  the  courtyard  and,  though 
its  occupant  was  invisible,  he  guessed  rightly  that 
Stampoff  had  not  failed  him.  Some  low  conversa- 
tion went  on  behind  his  back,  and,  although  he  was 
now  marshaling  his  forces  for  the  impending  struggle, 
he  became  aware  that  the  President  was  giving  in 
greater  detail  an  account  of  the  afternoon's  proceed- 
ings. But  he  listened  only  for  the  opening  of  the 
door.  From  that  instant  war  should  be  declared, 
ruthless  war  on  each  and  every  person  present  who 
had  reft  him  of  his  promised  bride. 

Stampoff  entered.  His  keen  old  eyes  instantly 
took  in  the  significance  of  the  gathering;  but  he 
saluted  the  King  in  silence,  bowed  to  Princess  Del- 
grado, and  stood  stockstill,  not  a  yard  from  the  door, 
in  the  attitude  of  one  who  awaits  an  order,  or,  it 
might  be,  a  denunciation. 

Alec  approached,  and  the  others,  including 
Stampoff  himself,  thought  that  he  meant  to  make  some 
private  communication  to  the  newcomer  before  be- 
ginning a  debate  in  which  all  might  share.  But  he 
walked  past  Stampoff,  locked  the  door,  and  put  the 
key  in  his  pocket. 

"  Now,"  he  said,  "  I  am  free  to  explain  why  we 
268 


Stampoff  saluted  the  King  in  silence 


Page  268 


The  Reason  for  Joan's  Flight 

seven  are  gathered  here  to-night.  Joan  Vernon,  who 
was  to  have  become  my  wife  within  a  few  days,  left 
Delgratz  two  hours  ago  by  the  mail  train  for  Paris. 
She  was  accompanied  by  Felix  Poluski,  and  the  only 
reason  for  this  clandestine  journey  is  contained  in  a 
few  lines  of  farewell  addressed  to  me  by  the  lady 
herself.  In  that  letter  she  speaks  of  a  barrier  that 
renders  impossible  a  marriage  between  her  and  me.  I 
want  to  know  what  that  barrier  is  and  who  erected 
it,  and  I  shall  discover  both  those  things  here  and 
now,  if  I  have  to  tear  the  knowledge  from  the  heart 
of  each  man  present !  " 

"  A  strange  threat,  Alec,"  panted  Prince  Michael, 
whose  prominent  eyes  were  bulging  in  semi-intoxica- 
tion, though  indeed  he  seemed  suddenly  to  have 
realized  the  tremendous  import  of  the  King's  state- 
ment,— "  a  strange  threat  to  be  uttered  before  your 
mother !  " 

"  My  mother  loved  Joan,"  came  the  impassioned 
cry.  "  She  took  her  to  her  heart  from  the  first  hour, 
and  she  will  bear  with  me  now  in  my  agony.  Yet  it 
may  be  that  even  my  mother  has  deceived  me.  I  can- 
not tell.  Some  of  you  here  know,  perhaps  all;  but 
I  vow  to  Heaven  I  shall  not  flinch  from  my  resolve 
to  extract  the  truth,  no  matter  with  whom  the  re- 
sponsibility rests !  " 

Princess  Delgrado,  trembling  and  ghastly  pale,  tot- 
tered to  the  chair  again  and  gripped  its  back  to  pre- 
vent herself  from  falling.  Under  less  strained  con- 
ditions, it  must  have  seemed  bizarre  in  a  company  of 

269 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

men  for  whom  polite  attentions  to  the  opposite  sex 
were  a  fixed  convention,  that  she  should  seek  such 
support  when  her  husband  was  standing  by  her  side ; 
but  in  that  startled  gathering  small  heed  was  given 
to  aught  else  than  the  King's  thrilling  statement. 

Though  aware  of  his  mother's  distress,  Alec  did  not 
move  from  the  position  he  had  taken  up,  facing  all  of 
them,  and  with  that  hidden  sword  within  easy  reach. 
Ever  a  dutiful  and  devoted  son,  he  continued  now  to 
glower  at  the  half-fainting  woman  as  though  she 
alone  held  the  key  of  the  mystery  that  resulted  in 
Joan's  disappearance.  His  impassioned  eyes  sought 
to  peer  into  her  very  soul,  and  his  nostrils  quivered 
with  the  frenzied  eagerness  of  one  who  awaited  an 
answer  to  the  implied  question.  In  some  indefinable 
way  he  had  already  begun  to  suspect  the  truth ;  for 
when  the  poor  woman  made  no  reply,  though  more 
than  once  her  terror  laden  eyes  met  his  in  mute  ap- 
peal, he  whirled  round  on  Marulitch. 

"  Perhaps  this  is  an  occasion  when  it  is  a  woman's 
privilege  to  remain  silent,"  he  said  bitterly.  "  So  I 
begin  with  you,  Julius.  Save  myself,  you  are  the 
youngest  here,  and  it  would  be  fitting  that  you  and 
I  should  determine  this  business.  I  warn  you  there 
will  be  no  half  measures  !  My  life,  at  least,  goes  into 
the  scale,  and  I  care  not  who  else  adjusts  the  bal- 
ance." 

The  pink  and  white  tints  had  long  fled  from  the 
Parisian  dandy's  complexion.  In  the  dim  light  he 
looked  livid,  and  his  forehead  bore  bright  beads  of 

270 


The  Reason  for  Joan's  Flight 

perspiration.  But  even  Alec's  fiery  eyes  discerned 
that  he  was  not  only  afraid,  but  bewildered,  and  his 
voice  cracked  with  excitement  when  he  spoke. 

"I  declare  by  everything  I  hold  sacred  that  I  had 
no  hand  in  this  affair ! "  he  said  shrilly.  "  It  is 
natural  perhaps  that  you  should  suspect  me,  since  I 
seem  to  have  most  to  gain  by  any  ill  that  befalls  you ; 
but,  even  in  your  anger,  Alec,  you  should  be  just. 
No  matter  how  fierce  your  emotions,  you  ought  to 
realize  that  Miss  Vernon's  departure  from  Delgratz 
retards  rather  than  helps  any  possible  scheming  on 
my  part  to  succeed  you  on  the  throne." 

"  Now  you,  Beliani ! "  said  Alec,  striving  to  pene- 
trate the  mask  that  covered  the  one  impassive  face  in 
the  room.  "  It  was  you  who  contrived  that  my  prom- 
ised wife  should  come  here  from  Paris.  I  can  see 
your  purpose  now.  At  to-day's  meeting  of  the  Cab- 
inet, while  I  was  urging  your  advancement  to  power 
and  dignity  in  the  State,  your  hand  was  revealed  in 
the  opposition  manifested  to  my  marriage.  Your 
cunning  brain  conceived  the  notion  that  I  would  not 
abandon  the  woman  I  loved  for  the  sake  of  fifty  King- 
doms. You  read  my  mind  aright ;  but,  if  it  was  you 
who  brought  about  her  flight,  for  what  devilish  rea- 
son did  you  depart  from  the  subtle  plot  that  might 
well  have  achieved  your  ends  by  means  which  you, 
at  least,  would  consider  fair  ?  " 

The  Greek  spread  wide  his  hands  in  that  charac- 
teristic gesture  of  his.  As  it  happened,  for  once  in 
his  life  he  could  afford  to  be  sincere.  "  I  can  only 

271 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

assure  your  Majesty  in  the  plainest  possible  terms," 
he  said,  "  that  until  I  heard  the  news  from  your  own 
lips,  I  had  no  knowledge  whatsoever  of  Miss  Ver- 
non's  journey.  Were  I  asked  outside  that  locked 
door  to  state  to  the  best  of  my  belief  where  she  might 
be  found,  I  should  have  said  that  the  slight  illness  of 
which  she  complained  this  morning  had  probably  con- 
fined her  to  her  room." 

For  an  instant  Alec  scowled  at  the  President ;  but 
Sergius  Nesimir's  vacuous  features  so  obviously  re- 
vealed his  condition  of  speechless  surprise  and  distress 
that  there  remained  only  Stampoff ,  Prince  Michael — 
and  his  mother. 

Adhering  rigidly  to  his  scheme  of  narrowing  the 
field  of  inquiry  by  putting  the  same  straight  question 
to  each  individual  in  turn,  Alec  next  appealed  to  the 
man  who  had  helped  him  to  gain  a  throne. 

"  Paul,"  he  said,  "  you  who  were  my  friend  and 
have  become  my  enemy,  you,  at  least,  will  speak  the 
truth.  Tell  me,  then,  who  has  done  this  thing !  " 

Stampoff  strode  forward.  He  feared  no  one,  this 
determined  advocate  of  his  country's  cause,  and  he 
alone  knew  the  real  menace  of  the  impending  tornado. 
"  Your  mother  ought  not  to  be  here,  Alec,"  he  mut- 
tered. "  A  little  more  of  this  and  she  will  faint. 
Look  at  her!  Have  you  no  pity  in  your  heart? 
This  is  no  place  for  a  woman.  Unlock  the  door  and 
let  her  be  taken  away !  " 

Alec  moistened  his  dry  lips  with  his  tongue.  He 
felt  that  he  was  finally  touching  sure  ground  in  the 

272 


The  Reason  for  Joan's  Flight 

morass  through  which  he  was  floundering.  "  She  and 
all  of  you  must  remain !  "  was  his  grim  reply.  "  An- 
swer my  question!  Was  it  you  who  drove  Joan 
from  Delgratz  ?  " 

"  I  counseled  it,"  said  Stampoff,  folding  his  arms 
defiantly,  and  apparently  careless  whether  or  not  the 
King  sprang  at  his  throat  the  next  instant. 

"  Ah !  At  last !  Thank  God  for  one  man  who  is 
honest,  though  he  seems  to  have  acted  like  a  fiend! 
To  whom  did  you  counsel  it?  To  Joan  herself?  " 

"  No." 

"  Tell  me,  then,  to  whom?  " 

«I  refuse." 

"  Stampoff,  I  shall  draw  a  confession  from  you 
even  though  you  die  under  my  hands." 

"  I  have  faced  death  many  times  for  the  King  of 
Kosnovia,"  said  the  harsh  Serbian  voice,  "  and  I  shall 
not  shrink  from  it  now,  whether  at  the  hands  of  the 
King  or  his  foes.  Send  your  mother  away;  then, 
perhaps,  I  may  tell  you  what  you  want  to  know. 
The  thing  is  done,  and  I,  for  one,  shall  not  shirk  the 
consequences." 

"  My  mother  again !  Must  she  be  spared  though 
you  have  sacrificed  her  son?" 

With  a  quick  movement  that  sent  tremors  through 
Julius  and  the  Greek,  since  he  was  compelled  to  pass 
close  to  both,  he  strode  to  the  quaking  Princess  and 
caught  her  almost  roughly  by  the  shoulder. 

"  I  feared  this  from  the  outset,"  he  cried.  "  Did 
Stampoff  make  you  the  agent  of  his  hellish  work? 

273 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

Joan  would  trust  you.  Speak  to  me,  mother !  Was 
it  you  who  wrought  this  evil?  " 

Her  head  was  bent  low,  and  she  gasped  something 
that  sounded  like  an  excuse.  Alec  recoiled  from  her 
in  sudden  horror.  His  hands  were  pressed  feverishly 
to  his  forehead,  and  a  hoarse  cry  of  anguish  came 
from  his  panting  breast. 

"  I  think  I  shall  go  mad ! "  he  almost  sobbed. 
"  My  own  mother  enter  into  this  league  against  me ! 

My  mother Oh,  it  cannot  be !     Stampoff,  you,  I 

know,  would  not  scruple  to  sacrifice  my  dearest  hopes 
to  further  your  designs.  Could  you  find  none  but  my 
mother  to  aid  you?  " 

He  reeled  as  under  a  blow  from  an  unseen  hand, 
and  at  that  unfortunate  moment  Prince  Michael  Del- 
grado  thought  fit  to  assert  his  authority. 

"  This  ridiculous  scene  has  gone  far  enough,"  he 
cried.  "  I  was  not  aware  that  your  pretty  artist  had 
quitted  Delgratz ;  but  it  is  quite  evident  that  her  de- 
parture is  the  best  thing  that  could  possibly  happen 
for  the  good  of  the  Kingdom.  If  Stampoff  advised  it, 
and  your  mother  saw  fit  to  point  out  to  the  girl  the 
danger  she  was  bringing  to  you  and  the  monarchy, 
such  action  on  their  part  has  my  complete  approval." 
Alec  gazed  blankly  at  the  pompous  little  man.  It 
needed  but  Prince  Michael's  outburst  to  stamp  the 
whole  episode  with  the  seal  of  ineffable  meanness  and 
double  dealing.  He  recalled  the  cowardice  displayed 
by  the  Prince  when  Stampoff  urged  him  to  seize  the 
vacant  throne,  and  his  gorge  rose  at  the  thought  that 

274 


The  Reason  for  Joan's  Flight 

Joan  had  been  driven  from  his  arms  in  order  that 
this  pygmy  might  secure  the  annual  pittance  that 
would  supply  his  lusts  in  Paris.  At  that  moment  Alec 
was  Berserk  with  impotent  rage.  His  mother's  com- 
plicity in  the  banishing  of  Joan  denied  him  a  victim 
on  whom  to  wreak  his  wrath. 

But  there  still  remained  a  vengeance,  dire  and  far 
reaching,  which  would  teach  a  bitter  lesson  to  those 
who  had  entered  into  so  unworthy  a  conspiracy. 

Leaping  to  the  curtain  which  concealed  the  sword, 
he  snatched  it  up  and  smashed  it  across  his  knee. 
"  See,  then,  how  I  treat  the  symbol  of  my  monarchy," 
he  cried  with  a  terrible  laugh.  "  I  shall  soon  dem- 
onstrate to  you  what  a  pricked  balloon  is  this  King- 
ship of  which  you  prate.  I  believe  that  you,  my  own 
father,  are  ready  to  supplant  me,  I  know  that  Julius, 
my  cousin,  is  straining  every  nerve  to  procure  my 
downfall ;  but  you  shall  learn  how  a  man  who  despises 
the  pinchbeck  honors  of  a  throne  can  defeat  your 
petty  malice  and  miserable  scheming.  Monsieur 
Nesimir,  I  proclaim  Kosnovia  a  Republic  from  this 
hour !  Here  and  now  I  abdicate !  Summon  a  meet- 
ing of  the  Assembly  to-morrow,  and  I  shall  give  its 
members  the  best  of  reasons  why  the  State  will  pros- 
per more  under  the  people's  rule  than  under  that  of 
either  of  the  men  who  are  so  anxious  to  succeed  me." 

"  Abdicate !  Republic  !  What  monstrous  folly !  " 
cried  Prince  Michael,  his  plethoric  face  convulsed 
with  anger  at  this  unexpected  counterstroke. 

"  I  am  saying  that  which,  with  God's  help,  I  shall 
275 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

perform !  "  cried  Alec,  despair  falling  from  him  like  a 
discarded  garment  as  he  realized  what  his  project 
would  mean  to  Joan  and  himself. 

"  You  may  abdicate,  of  course,  if  you  choose," 
came  the  scornful  retort ;  "  but  you  have  no  power 
to  break  the  Delgrado  line." 

"  My  power  will  be  put  to  the  test  to-morrow,"  said 
Alec.  "  I  am  not  afraid  to  measure  my  strength 
against  the  pitiful  cowards  who  struck  at  me  through 
a  woman's  love." 

"  Pay  no  heed  to  him,  Monsieur  Nesimir ! "  piped 
Prince  Michael,  whose  voice  rose  to  a  thin  falsetto. 
"  He  is  beside  himself.  If  he  chooses  to  vacate  the 
throne,  it  reverts  to  me." 

"  A  Republic  in  Kosnovia ! "  snarled  Stampoff. 
"  That,  indeed,  will  mark  the  beginning  of  the  end 
for  the  Slav  race.  A  single  year  would  wipe  us  out 
of  existence.  What  say  you,  Beliani,  and  you, 
Marulitch?  Why  are  you  dumb?  Was  it  for  this 
that  we  have  striven  through  so  many  years?  Shall 
our  country  be  wrecked  now  because  a  hot  headed 
youth  puts  his  vows  to  a  woman  before  every  consid- 
eration of  national  welfare?  " 

"  The  notion  is  preposterous ! "  growled  Julius, 
gaining  courage  from  Stampoff 's  bold  denunciation; 
but  Beliani  tried  to  temporize. 

"  We  are  far  too  excited  to  deal  with  this  vexed 
affair  to-night,"  he  said.  "  The  King  is  naturally 
aggrieved  by  a  trying  experience,  and  is  hardly  in  a 
fit  state  of  mind  to  consider  the  grave  issues  raised 

276 


The  Reason  for  Joan's  Flight 

by  his  words.  Let  us  forget  what  we  have  just 
heard.  To-morrow  we  shall  all  be  calmer  and  saner." 

"  Monsieur  Nesimir,"  said  Alec  sternly,  fixing  the 
hapless  President  with  his  masterful  eye,  "  while  I  re- 
main King  you  must  obey  my  orders.  See  to  it  that 
notices  are  despatched  to-night  to  the  members  of 
the  National  Assembly  summoning  a  special  meeting 
for  an  early  hour  to-morrow." 

"  Monsieur  Nesimir  will  do  nothing  of  the  kind ! " 
shrieked  the  infuriated  Prince  Michael.  "  I  forbid 
it!" 

"  And  I  command  it,"  cried  Alec.  "  If  he  refuses, 
I  shall  take  other  steps  to  insure  my  wishes  being 
fulfilled." 

"  Then  I  will  tell  you  why  your  Joan  has  gone !  " 
bellowed  the  Prince.  "  No,  Marie,  I  will  not  be  re- 
strained ! "  he  shouted  to  his  wife,  who  had  rushed 
to  him  in  a  very  frenzy  of  alarm.  She  clutched  at 
his  shoulder ;  but  he  shook  himself  free  brutally. 

"  It  is  full  time  you  knew  what  I  have  done  for 
you,"  he  hissed  venomously  at  Alec.  "  Stampoff  and 
your  mother  and  I,  alone  of  those  in  this  room,  are 
aware  of  the  fraud  that  has  been  perpetrated  on  the 
people  of  this  country.  You  are  not  King  of  Kos- 
novia.  You  are  not  my  son.  Your  father  was  a 
Colorado  gold  miner  to  whom  your  mother  was  mar- 
ried before  I  met  her,  and  who  died  before  you  were 
born.  For  the  sake  of  his  widow's  money  I  gave  her 
my  name,  and  was  fool  enough  to  fall  in  with  her  whim 
of  pride  that  you  should  be  brought  up  as  a  Prince 

277 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

Belgrade.  I  suppose  Stampoff  urged  your  mother 
to  reveal  the  facts  to  that  chit  of  a  girl  who  has 
addled  your  brain,  and  she,  fortunately,  had  sense 
enough  to  see  that  you  can  not  continue  to  occupy 
the  throne  five  seconds  after  it  becomes  known  that 
you  are  a  mere  alien,  that  your  name  is  Alexander 
Talbot,  and  that  I,  Michael  Delgrado,  who  married 
a  foreigner  in  order  that  I  might  live,  and  permitted 
an  American  child  to  be  reared  as  a  lawful  Prince  of 
my  house,  am  the  lawful  King." 

The  little  man  strutted  up  and  down  the  room  in 
a  fume  of  indignation,  and  evidently  felt  fully  justi- 
fied in  his  own  esteem.  Ever  selfish  and  vain,  he 
fancied  that  he  had  been  the  victim  of  a  cruel  fate, 
and  he  read  the  sheer  bewilderment  in  Alec's  face  as  a 
tribute  to  the  master  stroke  he  had  just  delivered. 

But  his  self  conceit  wilted  under  the  contemptuous 
scorn  of  his  wife's  gaze,  which  he  chanced  to  meet 
when  his  posturing  ceased. 

Alec  looked  to  his  mother  for  some  confirmation  or 
denial  of  the  astounding  statement  blurted  forth  by 
her  husband.  But  she  had  no  eyes  for  her  son  then. 
The  wrongs  and  sufferings  of  a  lifetime  were  welling 
up  from  her  heart  to  her  lips.  The  agonized  suspense 
of  the  last  few  minutes  had  given  way  to  the  frenzy 
of  a  woman  outraged  in  her  deepest  sentiments. 

She  relinquished  the  chair  to  which  she  had  been 
clinging,  and  faced  the  diminutive  Prince  with  a  quiet 
dignity  that  overawed  him. 

"  So  that  is  how  you  keep  your  oath,  Michael !  " 
278 


The  Reason  for  Joan's  Flight 

she  said.  "  When  I  forgave  your  infidelities,  when  I 
pandered  to  your  extravagance,  when  I  allowed  you 
to  fritter  away  the  wealth  bequeathed  to  me  by  a 
man  whose  fine  nature  was  so  far  removed  from  yours 
that  I  have  often  wondered  why  God  created  two  such 
opposite  types  of  humanity,  time  and  again  you 
vowed  that  the  idle  folly  of  my  youth  would  never  be 
revealed  by  you.  Twice  you  swore  it  on  your  knees 
when  I  was  stung  beyond  endurance  by  your  base- 
ness. No,  Michael,"  and  her  voice  rose  almost  to  a 
scream  when  her  husband  tried  to  silence  her  with  a 
curse,  "  you  shall  hear  the  truth  now,  if  I  have  to 
ask  my  son  as  a  last  favor  to  his  unhappy  mother  to 
still  that  foul  tongue  of  yours  by  force !  " 

For  an  instant,  she  made  a  wild  appeal  to  Alec. 
"  Your  father  was  an  honorable  man,"  she  cried. 
"  For  his  sake,  if  not  for  mine,  since  I  have  forfeited 
all  claim  to  your  love,  compel  this  man  to  be  silent !  " 

The  belief  was  slowly  establishing  itself  in  her  son's 
mind  that  the  incredible  thing  he  was  hearing  was 
actually  true.  Nevertheless,  he  was  temporarily  be- 
reft of  the  poise  and  balance  of  judgment  that  might 
have  enabled  him  to  adjust  the  warring  elements  in  his 
bewildered  brain.  It  was  a  new  and  horrible  experi- 
ence to  be  asked  by  his  mother  to  use  physical  violence 
against  the  man  he  had  been  taught  to  regard  as  his 
father. 

He  had  never  respected  Michael  Delgrado, — he 
could  acknowledge  that  now  without  the  twinge  of 
conscience  that  had  always  accompanied  the  unpleas- 

279 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

ing  thought  in  the  past, — yet,  despite  the  gulf  already 
yawning  wide  between  them,  his  soul  revolted  against 
the  notion  of  laying  a  hand  on  him  in  anger. 

But  he  did  stoop  over  the  spluttering  little  Prince 
and  said  sternly,  "  You  must  not  interrupt  my  mother 
again !  You  must  not,  I  tell  you !  " 

Such  was  the  chilling  emphasis  of  his  words  that 
Belgrade's  loud  objurgations  died  away  in  his  throat, 
and  the  distraught  Princess,  with  one  last  look  of  un- 
utterable contempt  at  her  royal  spouse,  faced  the 
other  occupants  of  the  room. 

"  I  did  harm  to  none  by  my  innocent  deception," 
she  pleaded.  "  I  was  very  young  when  I  married 
Alec's  father,  who  was  nearly  twenty  years  older 
than  I.  We  were  not  rich,  and  we  were  compelled  to 
live  in  a  rude  mining  camp,  where  my  husband  owned 
some  claims  that  seemed  to  be  of  little  value.  But 
from  the  day  of  our  wedding  our  fortunes  began  to 
improve,  and,  in  the  year  before  my  son  was  born, 
money  poured  in  on  us.  That  small  collection  of 
wooden  shanties  has  now  become  a  great  city.  The 
land  my  husband  owned  is  worth  ten  thousand  times 
its  original  value;  but,  unfortunately,  when  wealth 
came,  I  grew  dissatisfied  with  my  surroundings.  I 
wanted  to  travel,  to  mix  in  society,  to  become  one  of 
the  fashionable  throng  that  flocks  to  Paris  and  Lon- 
don and  the  Riviera  in  their  seasons.  My  husband 
refused  to  desert  the  State  in  which  his  interests  were 
bound  up. 

"  We  quarreled — it  was  all  my  fault— and  then 
280 


The  Reason  for  Joan's  Flight 

one  day  he  was  killed  in  a  mine  accident,  and  I,  scarce 
knowing  what  I  was  doing,  fled  to  New  York  for  dis- 
traction from  my  grief  and  self  condemnation.  My 
son  was  born  there,  and  in  that  same  year  I  met 
Prince  Michael  Delgrado  in  a  friend's  house.  To  me 
in  those  days  a  Prince  was  a  wonderful  creature.  He 
quickly  saw  that  I  was  a  prize  worth  capturing,  and 
not  many  months  elapsed  before  we  were  married.  I 
had  all  the  foolish  vanity  of  a  young  woman,  unused 
to  the  world,  who  was  entitled  to  call  herself  a 
Princess,  and  it  seemed  to  my  flighty  mind  that  the 
fact  of  my  son  bearing  a  different  name  to  my  own 
would  always  advertise  my  plebeian  origin ;  for  I  was 
quite  a  woman  of  the  people,  the  daughter  of  a  store- 
keeper in  Pueblo.  I  cast  aside  my  old  and  tried  ac- 
quaintances, placed  my  affairs  in  trustworthy  hands, 
and,  when  we  set  up  an  establishment  in  Paris,  my  in- 
fant son  came  to  be  known  as  a  Prince  of  the  Del- 
grado family. 

"  Once  such  a  blunder  is  made  it  is  not  easily  recti- 
fied ;  but  during  many  a  sad  hour  have  I  regretted  it, 
for  Michael  Delgrado  did  not  scruple  to  use  it  as  a 
threat  whenever  I  resented  his  ill  conduct.  At  first  a 
trivial  thing,  in  time  it  became  a  millstone  round  my 
neck.  As  Alec  grew  up,  it  became  more  and  more 
difficult  to  announce  that  he  was  not  Prince  Alexis 
Delgrado,  but  a  simple  commoner,  Alexander  Talbot 
by  name. 

"  There,  then,  you  have  the  measure  of  my  trans- 
gression. It  was  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  that 

281 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

drove  that  dear  girl,  Joan  Vernon,  from  Delgratz 
this  evening,  because  General  Stampoff  would  not 
scruple  to  reveal  the  imposture  if  he  failed  to  secure 
the  King's  adherence  to  his  projects." 

"  God's  bones !  "  broke  in  Stampoff.  "  I  made 
him  King,  though  I  was  aware  from  the  day  of  your 
wedding  that  he  was  not  Michael's  son.  King  he  is, 
and  King  he  will  remain  if  he  agrees  to  my  terms." 

"  Go  on  with  your  story,  mother,"  said  Alec  softly. 
"  I  think  I  am  beginning  to  understand  now." 

"  What  more  need  I  say?  "  wailed  the  Princess  in 
a  sudden  access  of  grief.  "  I  have  squandered  your 
love,  Alec,  I  have  ruined  my  own  life,  I  have  devoted 
all  these  wretched  years  to  a  man  who  is  the  worst 
sort  of  blackmailer, — a  husband  who  trades  on  his 
wife's  weakness." 

She  turned  on  Prince  Michael  with  a  last  cry.  "  I 
am  done  with  you  now  forever ! "  she  sobbed.  "  I 
have  borne  with  you  for  my  son's  sake ;  but  now  you 
and  I  must  dwell  apart,  for  my  very  soul  loathes 
you ! " 

She  sank  into  a  chair  in  a  passion  of  tears,  and 
Alec  bent  over  her.  He  spoke  no  word  to  her ;  but  his 
hand  rested  gently  around  her  neck  while  his  eyes 
traveled  from  Michael's  gray-green  face  to  Julius 
Marulitch's  white  one. 

"  I  think  we  have  all  heard  sufficient  of  the  Del- 
grado  history  to  render  unnecessary  any  further  com- 
ment on  my  decision  to  relinquish  an  honor  that,  it 
would  appear,  I  had  no  right  to  accept,"  he  said.  "  I 

282 


The  Reason  for  Joans  Flight 

have  gained  my  end,  though  by  a  strange  path.   Will 
you  please  leave  me  with  my  mother?  " 

The  one  man  present  who  felt  completely  out  of  his 
depth  in  this  sea  of  discord  took  it  upon  himself  to 
cry  pathetically: 

"  The  door  is  locked,  your — your  Majesty !  " 
"  Ah,  forgive  me,  Monsieur  Nesimir,"  said  Alec, 
with  a  friendly  smile.  "  I  had  forgotten  that.  And, 
now  that  I  come  to  think  of  it,  I  still  have  something 
to  say ;  but  we  need  not  detain  my  mother  to  hear  an 
uninteresting  conversation.  Pardon  me  one  moment, 
while  I  attend  to  her." 


283 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  BROKEN  TREATY 

ALEC  unlocked  the  door.  The  laconic  Bosko  re- 
turned his  all  sufficing  "  Out,  monsieur"  to  the  re- 
quest that  he  would  bring  Mademoiselle  Joan's 
French  maid  to  Princess  Delgrado,  since  it  was  in 
Alec's  mind  that  Pauline  might  be  discreet. 

Prince  Michael,  Beliani,  Marulitch,  and  Nesimir 
had  already  formed  themselves  into  a  whispering 
group.  Stampoff  was  seated  apart,  morose  and 
thoughtful.  The  old  man's  elbows  rested  on  his 
knees  and  his  chin  was  propped  between  his  bony 
fists.  Princess  Delgrado  had  flung  herself  forward 
on  the  table.  Her  face  was  hidden  by  her  out- 
stretched arms.  This  attitude  of  abandonment,  the 
clenched  hands,  the  convulsive  heaving  of  her  shoul- 
ders, were  eloquent  of  tempest  tossed  emotions.  She 
looked  so  forlorn  that  her  son  was  tempted  to  return 
to  her  side  without  delay;  but  instead  he  walked 
quietly  toward  the  four  men  clustered  in  the  center 
of  the  room.  They  started  apart  and  faced  him 
nervously.  It  seemed  that  even  yet  they  feared  lest 
some  uncontrolled  gust  of  anger  might  lead  Alec  to 
fling  himself  blindly  upon  them.  Had  they  but 

284 


The  Broken  Treaty 

known  it,  he  despised  them  too  greatly  to  think  of 
mauling  them. 

"  Gentlemen,"  he  said,  "  I  have  one  small  request 
to  make.  Give  me  your  word  of  honor — I  will  take 
it  for  what  it  is  worth — that  to-night's  happenings 
shall  remain  unknown  to  the  outer  world,  and  that 
there  will  be  no  interference  with  my  mother  or  myself 
before  we  leave  Delgratz." 

Prince  Michael,  who  had  recovered  some  of  his 
jauntiness,  looked  at  Alec  with  the  crafty  eye  of  a 
cowed  hyena ;  but  he  said  coolly,  "  There  is  nothing 
to  be  gained  by  publishing  our  blunders  to  all  the 
world." 

"  Have  I  your  promise  ?  "  insisted  Alec. 

"  Yes." 

"  And  yours  ?  "  he  said  to  Marulitch. 

"  Of  course  I  agree,"  came  the  ready  answer.  "  I, 
like  Prince  Michael,  feel  that  it  would  be  folly " 

"  Prince  Michael ! "  snarled  the  royal  Delgrado. 
"  You  must  learn  to  school  your  tongue,  Julius ! 
From  this  moment  I  am  King  of  Kosnovia.  Let  there 
be  no  manner  of  doubt  about  that !  " 

Alec  might  not  have  heard  the  blusterer.  His  calm 
glance  fell  on  Beliani.  "And  what  say  you?"  he 
asked. 

"  I  agree  most  fully  and  unreservedly,"  murmured 
the  Greek,  conveying,  with  a  deep  bow,  his  respectful 
regret  that  such  an  assurance  should  be  necessary. 
The  greatly  perturbed  President  had  already  quitted 
the  room ;  so  Alec  turned  to  Stampoff.  His  manner 

285 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

was  quite  friendly.  Well  he  knew  that  this  fiery  soul 
was  not  to  be  judged  by  the  Delgrado  standard. 

"  I  will  not  inflict  on  you,  my  trusty  comrade,"  he 
said,  "the  indignity  of  a  demand  that  I  felt  was  im- 
perative in  the  case  of  some  others  present.  Let  us 
shake  hands  and  think  rather  of  what  we  have  gone 
through  together  when  I  was  King  and  you  were  my 
most  loyal  supporter,  than  of  the  poor  climax  to  my 
brief  reign  that  reveals  me  as  an  impostor." 

Those  keen  eyes  were  raised  in  a  half-formed  reso- 
lution. "Is  it  too  late,  Alec?"  he  growled  sul- 
lenly. 

"For  what?" 

Alec's  smile  of  surprise  was  the  only  bit  of  af- 
fectation he  had  indulged  in  that  night.  The  fan- 
tasy flitting  through  Stampoff's  brain  was  not  hid- 
den from  him ;  but  he  wanted  to  dismiss  it  lightly. 

"God's  bones!  Need  you  ask?  Say  but  the 
word,  and  you  will  be  more  firmly  established  on  the 
throne  than  ever.  Trust  me  to  find  means  to  still 
those  babbling  tongues !  "  and  Stampoff  flung  out  an 
arm  in  the  direction  of  the  uncle  and  nephew,  each 
manifestly  anxious  to  hurry  away,  yet  each  so  dis- 
trustful of  the  other  that  he  dared  not  go. 

"  Paul,  you  are  incorrigible,"  said  Alec.  "  You 
ought  to  have  been  a  marshal  under  Napoleon,  who 
would  have  had  no  scruples.  No,  you  will  not  see 
civil  war  in  the  streets  of  Delgratz  as  to  whether  a 
Delgrado  or  an  American  adventurer  shall  reign  in 
Kosnovia.  Yet,  I  thank  you  for  the  thought.  It 

286 


The  Broken  Treaty 

shows  that  you,  at  least,  do  not  rate  me  poorly,  and 
it  is  not  in  my  heart  to  be  vexed  with  you,  though 
I  owe  this  night's  amazement  to  your  striving." 

"Be  just,  Alec!"  whispered  the  Serb  hoarsely. 
"Condemn  me  if  you  will;  but  be  just!  While 
Michael  Delgrado  lived,  your  reign  would  never  have 
been  secure.  I  knew  that  all  along.  You  will  go 
away  now  and  marry  the  girl  of  your  choice,  and 
soon  the  memories  of  this  downtrodden  country  will 
be  dim  in  your  soul ;  but  think  what  would  have  hap- 
pened to  you,  to  your  wife,  and  perhaps  to  your  chil- 
dren, if  Michael  one  day  blurted  out  the  truth  in  some 
fit  of  drunken  rage,  or  if  Beliani  and  that  other  white 
faced  hound  obtained  evidence  of  your  birth.  That  is 
why  I  was  resolved  to  force  you,  if  possible,  to  wed  a 
Serbian  Princess.  Your  marriage  to  a  woman  of  our 
own  race  would  have  borne  down  opposition.  And 
now  what  will  happen?  The  future  is  black. 
Michael  is  unworthy  to  be  a  King;  Marulitch,  at  the 
best,  is  a  poor-spirited  wretch;  and  after  them  there 
is  no  Delgrado." 

"  Well,  I  am  sorry,  too,  in  a  way,"  said  Alec.  "  I 
was  beginning  to  love  these  Kosnovian  folk,  and  I 
think  I  could  have  made  something  of  them.  Good- 
by,  Paul.  If  we  never  meet  again,  at  least  we  part 
good  friends." 

Stampoff  rose  and  silently  wrung  Alec's  hand. 
He  walked  straight  out  of  the  room  with  bent  head 
and  slow  uncertain  steps.  For  the  hour  his  fierce 
spirit  was  chastened.  He  had  done  that  which  he 

287 


A  Sort  of  the  Immortals 

thought  would  make  for  good,  and  it  had  turned 
out  ill.  His  single  minded  scheming  had  gone  awry. 
Another  man  in  his  position  might  have  sought  to 
curry  favor  with  the  new  regime,  whether  of  Michael 
or  Julius;  but  Stampoff  was  not  of  that  mettle;  he 
wanted  Alec  to  be  King,  because  he  believed  in  him, 
and  now  the  edifice  for  which  he  had  labored  so 
ardently  had  tumbled  in  pieces  about  his  ears. 

Pauline  came,  and  Alec  went  to  his  mother.  He 
took  her  tenderly  in  his  arms. 

"  Come,  dear !  "  he  said.  "  Joan's  maid  will  help 
you  to  reach  your  room.  Our  train  leaves  at  mid- 
night, and  Bosko  and  Pauline  will  give  your  maid 
any  help  she  needs  in  collecting  your  belongings." 

The  Princess  raised  her  grief  stricken  face  to  his, 
and  it  wrung  his  heart  anew  to  see  how  that  night 
of  misery  had  aged  her. 

"  Oh,  my  son,  my  son !  "  she  murmured.  "  Will 
you  ever  forgive  me  ?  " 

He  kissed  her  with  a  hearty  and  reassuring  hug. 
"  Forgive  you,  mother ! "  he  cried.  "  It  is  not  I, 
but  you,  who  have  suffered  through  all  these  years. 
Have  no  fear  for  the  future !  Joan  and  I  will  make 
you  happy." 

"  But  she,  Alec !  What  will  she  say  when  she 
learns  the  wrong  I  have  done  you  ?  " 

"What!  Afraid  of  Joan?"  cried  he  cheerfully. 
"  Why,  you  dear  old  mother,  Joan  is  taking  all  the 
blame  on  her  own  shoulders.  You  will  find  she  agrees 
with  me  that  you  are  the  one  to  be  pitied  You 

288 


The  Broken  Treaty 

made  a  mistake  for  which  you.  have  paid  very  dearly; 
but  in  no  possible  way  can  it  affect  the  remainder  of 
our  lives.  There  now,  cheer  up  and  prepare  for  your 
journey!  " 

The  Princess  left  the  room  leaning  on  Pauline's 
arm,  nor,  in  passing,  did  she  bestow  a  glance  on  her 
husband.  Prince  Michael  indulged  in  an  ostentatious 
shrug,  and  might  have  said  something  had  not  Alec's 
gaze  dwelt  on  him  steadily.  It  is  to  be  presumed 
that,  not  for  the  first  time,  discretion  conquered 
Michael's  valor. 

"  A  word  with  you,  Beliani,"  said  Alec,  going  to  the 
table  and  unlocking  the  drawer  from  which  he  had 
taken  the  money  given  to  Sobieski.  "  You  are  now 
in  charge  of  the  State's  finances,  I  presume.  I  have 
here  a  sum,  roughly  speaking,  of  one  thousand 
pounds.  To  some  extent,  it  is  my  own  money;  but 
the  greater  part  consists  of  instalments  of  the  salary 
of  five  thousand  dollars  a  year  I  allowed  myself  as 
King.  Do  you  think  I  have  earned  it?  "" 

The  Greek  could  only  mutter  a  surprised,  "  Yes. 
Who  would  deny  your  right  to  a  far  larger 
amount  ?  " 

"  Having  your  sanction,  then,  I  take  it,"  said  Alec 
coolly.  "  Here  too  is  my  passport,  issued  in  Paris, 
for  which  I  believe  I  am  indebted  to  you.  It  will  now 
come  in  handy.  May  I  ask  in  whose  charge  I  leave 
the  books  and  papers  on  this  table?  Some  of  them 
may  be  of  use  to  the  State." 

"  I  am  afraid  I  cannot  answer  that  question,"  mut- 
289 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

tered  the  Greek,  with  a  stealthy  glance  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  rival  candidates. 

"  Well,  settle  it  among  yourselves,"  said  Alec  dryly. 
"  Now  I  must  be  off." 

Without  another  word  he  passed  from  the  room 
that  had  witnessed  his  triumph  and  his  fall.  Yet 
his  face  was  remarkably  cheerful  when  he  asked  an 
attendant  if  Lord  Adalbert  Beaumanoir's  where- 
abouts was  known.  The  quiet  elation  in  his  manner 
led  the  man  to  believe  that  some  specially  pleasing 
news  had  transpired  during  the  conclave  in  the  royal 
bureau. 

It  appeared  that  his  Excellency,  the  English 
milord,  had  gone  to  the  music  hall  in  the  Konig- 
strasse  with  a  friend. 

"  Then  send  some  one  to  say  that  he  is  wanted  here 
at  once,"  said  Alec. 
'   "  Yes,  your  Majesty." 

"Your  Majesty!"  How  incongruous  the  two 
words  sounded  now  in  Alec's  ears !  By  a  trick  of 
memory  his  thoughts  flew  back  to  the  Montmartre  re- 
view wherein  the  stage  prototypes  of  the  Parisian 
band  of  exiled  monarchs  addressed  each  other  by  high 
sounding  titles  and  incidentally  sought  to  borrow 
five-franc  pieces. 

"  If  I  possessed  some  literary  skill,  I  could  write  a 
review  that  would  set  the  world  talking,"  he  mused, 
smiling  to  himself  as  he  ascended  the  stairs  to  his 
own  suite. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  old  chap  ?  "  demanded  Beau- 
290 


The  Broken  Treaty 

manoir,  strolling  into  his  friend's  dressing  room  a  few 
minutes  later.  Lord  Adalbert  never  hurried  unless 
he  was  on  horseback.  He  was  in  evening  dress,  and 
an  opera  hat  was  set  rakishly  on  the  back  of  his 
head.  He  was  smoking,  his  hands  were  thrust  into 
his  pockets,  and  the  mere  sight  of  him  served  again 
to  remind  Alec  of  the  larger  world  in  whose  daily 
round  Kosnovia  and  its  troubles  filled  so  insignificant 
a  part. 

In  an  oddly  jubilant  mood,  Alec  took  a  pencil  and 
wrote  in  large  characters  on  Beaumanoir's  immacu- 
late shirt  front,  "  Paris — with  care." 

His  chum  read.     "  The  answer  is  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  We  are  leaving  Delgratz  to-night,  Berty.  That 
is  all." 

"  You  don't  say !  "  He  glanced  down  at  the  label. 
"Is  this  the  address?" 

"  Yes." 

Beaumanoir  screwed  his  cigar  firmly  into  the  cor- 
ner of  his  mouth.  "  I  am  pretty  rapid  myself,  Alec," 
he  grinned ;  "  but  you  are  too  sudden  altogether.  Tell 
me  just  what  you  mean,  there's  a  dear  fellow." 

"  I  take  it  you  don't  want  to  remain  here  without 
me,  Berty,"  said  Alec  cheerily,  "  and  I  am  off.  I 
chucked  up  my  job  half  an  hour  ago.  Joan  and 
Felix  started  by  the  mail  train  that  left  here  at  half- 
past  five.  We  follow  at  midnight.  My  mother  goes 
with  us.  As  Bosko  is  giving  her  maid  a  hand  in  the 
packing,  I  must  look  after  my  own  traps.  Nesimir's 
servants  would  talk,  which  is  just  what  I  want  to 

291 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

avoid.  The  two  days  in  the  train  will  give  you 
plenty  of  time  to  learn  the  harrowing  details.  I  have 
a  pretty  story  for  you ;  but  it  must  wait.  I  am  not 
cracked,  nor  sprung,  nor  trying  to  be  funny ;  so  you 
need  not  look  at  me  in  that  way.  I  am  out  of  busi- 
ness as  a  King,  for  good  and  all,  and  the  sooner  I 
cross  the  frontier,  the  better  it  will  be  for  my 
health." 

"Honor  bright,  Alec?" 
"  Every  syllable.     Now,  get  a  hustle  on !  " 
There  was  a  tap  at  the  door,  and  a  servant  en- 
tered with  a  note  for  the  King.     It  was  from  Con- 
stantine  Beliani,  and  written  in  French. 

Prince  Michael  and  Count  Julius  Marulitch  have  decided 
that,  in  the  interests  of  the  State,  you  ought  to  make  a  formal 
abdication  of  the  throne,  appointing  the  former  as  your 
successor,  with  special  remainder  to  Count  Julius. 

I  agree  with  them  that  this  offers  the  best  way  out  of  an 
unfortunate  situation,  and  I  would  respectfully  point  out 
the  urgency  that  is  attached  to  the  proposal  if  you  still  con- 
template leaving  Delgratz  to-night. 

Alec  bent  his  brows  over  this  curt  missive,  which 
was  not  couched  precisely  in  the  suave  words  that 
might  be  expected  from  the  Greek.  Read  between 
the  lines,  its  meaning  was  significant.  Michael  and 
his  nephew,  hungering  for  the  spoils,  had  patched  up 
a  truce.  They  were  already  contemplating  another 
military  pronunciamento,  and  Beliani,  having  made 
his  own  terms,  was  lending  his  influence. 

If  their  demands  were  refused,  Alec  might  find  him- 
292 


The  Broken  Treaty 

self  a  prisoner,  and  the  country  would  be  plunged  into 
a  revolution.  Under  different  conditions,  he  would 
gladly  have  measured  his  wits  and  his  popularity 
against  the  triumvirate.  A  call  to  arms  would  win 
him  the  support  of  the  great  majority  of  the  troops 
and  of  nearly  all  the  younger  officers.  But  a  fight  for 
a  throne  to  which  he  had  no  claim  was  not  to  be 
thought  of;  yet  he  was  adamant  in  his  resolve  not  to 
advance  the  schemes  of  these  rogues  by  any  written 
statement. 

He  handed  the  note  to  Beaumanoir  with  a  quiet 
laugh.  "There  you  have  the  story  in  a  nutshell," 
he  said.  "  A  few  minutes  ago  I  became  aware  that 
I  am  not  Prince  Michael's  son.  Although  I  strove 
to  act  fairly,  my  worthy  stepfather  is  not  content. 
He  thinks  to  force  my  hand,  because  he  fears  the 
republican  idea ;  but  I  may  best  him  yet. 

"  Where  is  Monsieur  Nesimir? "  he  said  to  the 
servant,  to  whom  the  English  conversation  was  a 
sealed  book. 

"  In  his  apartments,  I  believe,  your  Majesty." 

"  Have  instructions  been  given  for  mounted  order- 
lies to  be  in  readiness  ?  " 

"  I  heard  his  Excellency  Prince  Michael  say  some- 
thing of  the  sort  to  the  officer  of  the  guard,  your 
Majesty." 

The  random  shot  had  told.  Alec  felt  that  he  was 
spinning  a  coin  with  fortune. 

"  That  is  right,"  he  said  coolly.  "  Give  my  com- 
pliments to  Monsieur  Beliani,  and  ask  him  to  oblige 

293 


me  by  coming  here  for  a  moment ;  Prince  Michael  and 
Count  Marulitch,  too.  Tell  all  three  that  I  am  ready 
to  attend  at  once  to  the  matter  mentioned  in  Monsieur 
Beliani's  note." 

The  servant  disappeared.  Beaumanoir,  who,  of 
course,  did  not  understand  the  instructions  given  to 
the  man,  was  fumigating  Beliani's  letter  with  rapid 
puffs  of  smoke,  and  incidentally  scratching  the  back 
of  his  right  ear. 

"  Rum  go  this,  Alec !  "  he  began. 

"  Not  a  word  now.  You'll  stand  by  me,  Berty,  I 
know.  Go  to  my  mother's  suite  and  tell  Bosko  I 
want  him  instantly.  Bid  him  bring  a  brace  of  re- 
volvers, and  see  that  they  are  loaded.  Come  here 
yourself  with  some  ropes,  leather  straps,  anything 
that  will  serve  to  truss  a  man  securely,  as  soon  as  you 
are  sure  that  Michael,  Julius,  and  the  Greek  are 
safely  in  the  room." 

Beaumanoir  scented  a  row.  Lest  any  words  of  his 
might  stop  it,  he  vanished.  He  must  have  hurried, 
too,  since  Bosko  had  joined  his  master  before  Beli- 
ani's messenger  reached  the  anxious  conspirators  with 
Alec's  answer.  There  was  no  need  to  ask  if  the  Al- 
banian had  brought  the  weapons.  They  were  tucked 
ostentatiously  in  his  belt.  Alec  looked  him  squarely 
in  the  eyes. 

"  I  think  I  can  depend  on  you,  Bosko,"  said  he. 

"  Oui,  monsieur" 

"Understand,  then,  that  I  am  no  longer  King  of 
Kosnovia.  I  am  not  Prince  Michael's  son.  I  mean 

294 


The  Broken  Treaty 

to  leave  Delgratz  to-night,  and  there  is  a  plot  on  foot 
to  prevent  my  departure  except  on  terms  to  which 
I  shall  not  agree.  Will  you  help  me  to  defeat 
it?" 

"  Oui,  monsieur." 

"  Within  the  next  minute  I  shall  probably  have 
visitors.  They  may  show  fight,  though  I  doubt  it, 
I  want  you  to  place  those  two  pistols  among  the 
clothes  in  that  portmanteau,  and  be  busy,  apparently, 
in  arranging  its  contents.  When  I  close  the  door,  you 
must  spring  up  and  cover  them  with  both  revolvers. 
Do  not  shoot  without  my  command ;  but  make  it  clear 
by  your  manner  that  their  lives  are  at  your  mercy. 
Will  you  do  this?" 

"  Oui,  monsieur,"  said  Bosko. 

"  Here  they  are,  then.     Be  ready !  " 

The  door  was  ajar,  and  footsteps  sounded  on  the 
stairs.  Some  one  knocked. 

"  Come  in,"  said  Alec  cordially. 

Beliani  was  the  first  to  enter.  He  pushed  the  door 
wide  open  to  assure  himself  that  he  was  not  walking 
into  a  trap.  He  saw  Bosko  on  his  knees,  rummaging 
in  a  trunk,  and  Alec  standing  in  the  middle  of  the 
room,  lighting  a  cigarette. 

"  Come  in,"  said  Alec  again.  "  My  departure  is 
rather  hurried,  as  you  know,  and  I  have  not  a  min- 
ute to  spare.  Have  you  brought  the  necessary  docu- 
ments ?  " 

"  It  is  a  simple  matter,"  said  the  Greek,  advancing 
confidently.  "  Half  a  sheet  of  notepaper  with  your 

295 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

signature  and  our  indorsement  as  witnesses  will  suf- 
fice." 

Prince  Michael  and  Julius,  reassured  by  Alec's 
manner,  and  thanking  the  propitious  stars  that  had 
rendered  unnecessary  the  dangerous  step  they  were 
contemplating,  entered  the  room  with  as  businesslike 
an  air  as  they  could  assume  at  a  crisis  so  fraught 
with  import  to  their  own  future. 

"  We  ought  to  be  alone,"  said  Beliani  in  English, 
with  a  wary  glance  at  Bosko. 

"  Oh,  for  goodness'  sake  don't  disturb  my  man !  I 
have  so  little  time  and  so  much  to  do !  Tell  me  ex- 
actly what  you  want  me  to  sign,"  and  he  strode  to  the 
door  and  closed  it  behind  Marulitch. 

The  eyes  of  the  three  were  on  him  and  not  on  the 
harmless  looking  attendant.  During  those  few  sec- 
onds they  were  completely  deceived. 

Prince  Michael,  finding  the  path  so  easy,  took  the 
lead.  "  Just  a  formal  renunciation  of  the  crown," 
he  said.  "  Give  as  your  reason,  if  you  choose,  your 
inability  to  fall  in  with  the  expressed  desire  of  the 
Cabinet  that  you  should  marry  a  Serbian  lady.  It  is 
essential  that  you  should  name  me " 

The  door  opened  and  Lord  Adalbert  Beaumanoir 
came  in  leisurely.  He  carried  an  assortment  of 
straps,  rifled  from  leather  trunks  and  hatboxes.  He 
saw  the  three  men  facing  Alec,  and  behind  them 
Bosko's  leveled  revolvers. 

"  Not  a  bally  rope  to  be  had,  dear  boy ;  but  here's 
leather  enough  to  go  round,"  he  grinned.  "  By  gad ! 

296 


The  Broken  Treaty 

what  a  tableau!  I  suppose  you  mean  to  gag  'em 
and  then  tie  'em  back  to  back,  eh,  what?  " 

Alec  picked  up  a  chair.  "  Yes,"  he  said.  "  Be- 
gin with  his  Excellency  Prince  Michael." 

Julius  Marulitch's  right  hand  sought  the  pocket 
of  the  dinner  jacket  he  was  wearing. 

"  No,  Julius,"  said  Alec  pleasantly,  "  move  an  inch 
and  you  are  a  dead  man.  Bosko  has  my  orders,  and 
he  will  obey  them.  You  may  look  at  him  if  you 
doubt  my  word." 

Marulitch's  well  poised  head  had  never  before 
turned  so  quickly ;  but  he  shrank  from  a  wicked  look- 
ing muzzle  pointed  straight  between  his  eyes.  In 
such  circumstances,  the  caliber  of  a  revolver  seems  to 
become  magnified  to  absurdly  large  proportions,  and 
behind  the  fearsome  weapon  Bosko's  immovable  face 
was  that  of  an  automaton. 

Beliani's  olive  complexion  assumed  a  sickly 
green  tint  for  the  second  time  that  evening.  "  I 
was  right,"  he  muttered ;  "  but  you  would  not 
listen." 

"  It  is  a  common  delusion  of  the  thief  that  an  hon- 
est man  has  no  brains,"  said  Alec  coolly.  "  Now, 
Beaumanoir,  get  busy.  Time  is  flying,  and  we  have 
little  more  than  an  hour  to  spare." 

Prince  Michael,  never  noted  for  his  courage,  began 
to  whimper  some  words  of  expostulation;  but  Beau- 
manoir's  strong  hands  soon  silenced  him  with  an  im- 
provised gag,  for  the  effeminate  little  rascal  realized 
that  his  jaw  might  be  broken  if  he  resisted  the  stuffing 

297 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

of  a  towel  into  his  mouth.  In  a  few  minutes  the 
three  were  seated  on  the  floor,  securely  bound,  and 
unable  to  utter  more  than  a  gurgling  cry,  which  would 
certainly  not  be  heard  by  any  one  passing  along  the 
outer  corridor. 

Alec's  cheerful  explanation  of  his  action  must  have 
been  particularly  galling.  "  You  will  remain  here 
until  such  time  as  Stampoff  decides  that  you  may 
safely  be  set  at  liberty,"  he  said.  "  Not  you,  but 
he,  must  provide  for  the  future  good  government  in 
Kosnovia." 

"  Thanks,  Beaumanoir,"  he  added,  turning  from 
the  discomfited  trio  with  a  carelessness  that  showed 
they  gave  him  no  further  concern.  "  Better  be  off 
now  and  get  ready.  Bosko,  mount  guard  outside  the 
door!  Allow  no  one  to  enter  on  any  pretext  what- 
soever ! " 

Then  he  busied  himself  about  the  room,  followed 
by  vengeful  eyes.  He  had  brought  little  into  Kos- 
novia, and  he  took  little  away.  The  extraordinary 
simplicity  of  his  life  had  rendered  unnecessary  the 
usual  trappings  of  a  King.  He  had  worn  no  uni- 
form save  the  plainest  of  field  service  garments.  He 
possessed  no  State  attire.  His  clothes  were  mostly 
those  which  came  from  Paris,  and  it  amused  him  now 
to  change  rapidly  into  the  very  suit  in  which  he  had 
entered  Delgratz,  an  unknown  claimant  of  the  Kos- 
novian  throne.  Bundling  his  trunks  out  into  the  cor- 
ridor, he  closed  and  locked  the  door,  and  the  click 
of  the  moving  bolt  must  have  sent  a  tremor  through 

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In  a  few  minutes  the  three  were  securely  bound 


Page  MR 


The  Broken  Treaty 

the  stiff  limbs  of  the  three  worthies  who  lay  huddled 
together  inside. 

Bidding  Bosko  hurry  over  his  own  preparations,  he 
descended  to  the  courtyard.  A  number  of  troopers, 
standing  by  their  horses'  heads,  sprang  to  attention 
when  he  appeared. 

"  You  can  dismiss  your  men,"  he  said  to  the  officer 
in  charge.  "  They  will  not  be  needed  to-night." 

Then  he  told  an  attendant  to  order  a  couple  of 
carriages  for  half-past  eleven.  In  the  reception  room 
he  wrote  a  hasty  note  to  Stampoff : 


MY  DEAR  PATH.: — The  legitimate  King  of  Kosnovia  and  his 
heir  apparent,  not  contented  with  the  arrangement  entered 
into  in  your  presence,  planned  with  Beliani  a  coup  d'etat.  I 
defeated  it.  You  will  find  all  three  in  my  bedroom,  the  key 
of  which  I  inclose.  They  are  alive  and  well,  and  will  stop 
there  until  it  pleases  you  to  release  them.  Perhaps  you  would 
like  to  consult  with  Sergius  Nesimir,  who  by  the  time  you 
receive  this  may  have  recovered  the  composure  so  rudely 
disturbed  to-night.  At  any  rate,  the  next  move  rests  with 
you.  Farewell  and  good  luck. 

Yours,  ALEC. 


Outside  his  mother's  apartments  he  came  upon 
Prince  Michael's  valet  in  whispered  consultation  with 
Pauline  and  Princess  Delgrado's  maid.  In  the  rush 
of  events  he  had  forgotten  the  two  domestics  from  the 
Rue  Boissiere. 

"  His  Excellency  will  not  need  your  services  to- 
night," he  said  to  the  man,  "  and  it  will  meet  his 
wishes  in  every  respect  if  nothing  is  said  to  the  other 

299 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

servants    as   to   the   departure   of  the   Princess    for 
Paris." 

"  Precisely,  your  Majesty,"  smirked  the  French- 
man. 

"  You,  of  course,"  he  went  on,  addressing  the  maid, 
"  will  accompany  your  mistress." 

"  Yes,  your  Majesty,"  she  said,  quite  reassured  by 
Alec's  matter  of  fact  manner. 

A  glance  at  Pauline's  honest  face  showed  that 
nothing  had  been  said  of  the  curious  scene  witnessed 
in  the  bureau.  To  a  certain  extent,  Joan's  humble 
friend  shared  his  confidence,  and  it  was  evident  that 
she  had  not  betrayed  it. 

The  departure  of  such  a  large  party  probably  cre- 
ated some  speculation  among  the  palace  servants ; 
but  Nesimir  did  not  put  in  an  appearance,  and  no  one 
dared  to  question  the  King's  movements.  Alec  had 
purposely  allowed  the  barest  time  for  the  drive  to  the 
station.  The  midnight  train,  not  being  an  important 
express,  carried  few  passengers,  mostly  traders  re- 
turning to  neighboring  towns  in  Austria  after  con- 
ducting the  day's  business  in  Delgratz.  The  King 
and  his  companions,  of  course,  were  recognized;  but 
again  it  was  not  to  be  expected  that  any  official 
would  trouble  them  with  inquiries. 

Having  secured  a  compartment  for  his  mother  and 
Beaumanoir,  Alec  made  for  the  station  master's  of- 
fice, meaning  to  obtain  a  messenger  who  might  be 
trusted  to  deliver  Stampoff's  letter,  and  he  happened 
to  notice  a  policeman  standing  near  a  carriage  door. 

300 


The  Broken  Treaty 

A  white  face  peered  out  through  the  window.  It 
was  Sobieski.  The  King  and  the  waiter  were  quit- 
ting Delgratz  by  the  same  train ! 

Alec  laughed,  and  the  policeman  saluted.  "  When 
the  train  has  gone,"  said  Alec,  "  I  want  you  to  de- 
liver this  letter  to  General  Stampoff." 

"Yes,  your  Majesty,"  replied  the  man. 

"  It  is  important,  remember.  Here  are  ten 
rubles,  arid  ask  General  Stampoff,  with  my  compli- 
ments, for  the  like  amount.  Take  no  denial  from 
his  servants.  If  he  is  in  bed,  he  must  be  awaked. 
Say  that  I  sent  you,  and  there  should  be  no  diffi- 
culty." 

Precisely  at  midnight  the  train  started.  Quickly 
gathering  speed,  it  ran  through  the  tumbledown 
suburbs  of  the  city  and  rumbled  across  the  iron  bridge 
that  spans  the  Tave  River.  In  twenty  minutes  it 
was  at  Semlin,  and  Austrian  officials  were  examining 
passports.  It  was  almost  ludicrous  to  find  that  they 
gave  Alec  and  his  mother  a  perfunctory  glance;  but 
Lord  Adalbert  Beaumanoir  excited  their  lively  sus- 
picion. One  man,  in  particular,  mounted  guard  out- 
side the  carriage,  and  did  not  budge  till  the  train 
moved  on  again. 

"  That  chap  remembers  me,"  said  Beaumanoir. 
"  Did  you  notice  how  he  glared?  He  was  the  johnny 
I  slung  through  the  window." 

At  an  early  hour  in  the  morning  Joan  was  peering 
disconsolately  through  the  window  of  a  railway  car- 
riage at  the  life  and  bustle  of  Budapest  station. 

301 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

Felix  had  gone  to  purchase  some  newspapers,  and 
the  girl  was  absorbed  in  gray  thought  when  an  of- 
ficial thrust  head  and  shoulders  into  the  compartment 
and  asked  if  the  Fraulein  Vernon,  passenger  from 
Delgratz  to  Paris,  was  within. 

"  Yes,"  gasped  Joan,  all  the  slight  color  flying 
from  her  cheeks  and  leaving  her  wan  indeed. 

"  Here  is  a  telegram  for  you,  fraulein,"  said  the 
man  politely,  and  his  civil  tone,  at  least,  assured  her 
that  she  was  not  to  be  dragged  from  the  train  and 
subjected  to  some  mysterious  inquisition  by  Austrian 
police.  "  Sent  care  of  the  station  master,"  he  ex- 
plained, "  and  we  were  urgently  requested  to  find  you. 
Kindly  sign  this  receipt." 

She  scribbled  her  name  on  a  form,  and  the  man 
carefully  compared  it  with  the  superscription  on  the 
telegram. 

"  Yes,  that  is  right,"  he  said,  and  at  last  the  agi- 
tated girl  was  free  to  open  this  message  from  the 
skies.  It  was  written  in  German,  probably  to  insure 
accurate  transmission,  and  it  read : 

My  mother  and  I,  together  with  Beaumanoir,  left  Delgratz 
seven  hours  later  than  you.  Pauline  accompanies  us.  We  are 
returning  to  Paris  after  having  settled  affairs  satisfactorily 
in  Kosnovia.  Please  await  our  arrival  in  Budapest,  and  accept 
the  statement  without  any  qualification  that  there  is  no  reason 
whatever  why  you  should  not  do  this.  ALEC. 

The  amazing  words  were  still  dancing  before  her 
eyes  when  Felix  came  running  along  the  platform. 

302 


The  Broken  Treaty 

He  too  had  been  identified  by  an  official,  and  in  his 
hand  was  another  telegraphic  slip. 

"  We  need  have  no  secrets  between  us  now,  my 
belle,"  he  cried  excitedly.  "  You  guess  what  has  hap- 
pened." 

"  Alec  has  left  Delgratz — he  and  his  mother — 
Oh,  Felix!  if  he  really  sent  this  telegram,  why  did 
he  not  explain  things  ?  " 

"  The  explanation  would  be  rather  ticklish,  when 
you  come  to  think  of  it,"  said  Felix  dryly.  "  The 
Austrian  Government  might  take  too  keen  an  interest 
in  it.  Don't  you  understand,  girl?  He  has  wrung 
the  truth  from  some  one.  He  is  no  longer  a  King, 
but  a  very  devoted  lover.  Come,  we  can  pass  the 
day  pleasantly  in  Budapest.  There  is  nothing  else 
to  be  done.  No  sense  in  running  away  merely  for 
the  fun  of  the  thing.  If  Alec  is  not  a  King,  there 
is  no  immediate  probability  of  your  becoming  a 
Queen.  You  will  be  plain  Mrs.  Somebody  or  other. 
Now  I  wonder  what  in  the  world  his  new  name  is. 
The  son  of  an  American  father  would  hardly  be 
called  Alexis.  Horrible  thought!  You  may  have 
to  learn  to  love  him  all  over  again  as  Chauncey,  or 
Hiram,  or  Phineas.  Tell  me,  mignonne,  could  you 
take  him  back  to  your  heart  as  Phineas  ?  " 

Joan  rose  and  stepped  out  on  the  platform.  Po- 
luski's  chaffing  outburst  failed  in  its  intent,  though, 
to  his  great  relief,  she  did  not  break  down  as  he 
feared.  "  Perhaps  he  will  not  want  me  now,  Felix," 
she  said,  and  her  eyes  were  shining. 

303 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

"  Oh,  fiddlesticks  !  "  cried  the  hunchback.  "  Why 
did  he  telegraph  from  the  first  wayside  station  after 
leaving  Semlin?  Alec  not  want  you!  At  this  mo- 
ment he  is  more  proud  that  he  is  a  free  born  American 
than  if  a  miracle  almost  beyond  the  powers  of  Heaven 
had  made  him  a  Delgrado." 

Felix,  cynic  that  he  was,  was  secretly  delighted 
when  Joan  discovered  after  breakfast  that  a  blouse 
which  caught  her  eye  in  one  of  the  Budapest  shops 
was  much  more  suitable  for  traveling  than  that  which 
she  happened  to  be  wearing.  It  was  also  significant 
that  the  dust  which  had  gathered  in  her  hair  during 
the  long  journey  from  Delgratz  required  a  visit  to 
a  coiffeur.  These  straws  showed  how  the  wind  blew, 
he  fancied. 

And  it  was  good  to  see  the  way  Joan's  face  kindled 
when  Alec  clasped  her  in  his  arms.  They  said  little 
then.  The  why  and  the  wherefore  of  events  they  left 
to  another  hour;  but  when  Joan  extricated  herself 
from  her  lover's  embrace  she  turned  to  Princess  Del- 
grado. The  two  women  exchanged  an  affectionate 
kiss;  each  looked  at  the  other  through  a  mist  of 
tears.  Words  were  not  needed.  They  understood, 
and  that  sufficed. 

In  a  calmer  moment  Alec  told  Joan  what  had  hap- 
pened. He  laid  special  stress  on  the  fact  that  his 
mother  was  quite  determined  to  renounce  her  title 
and  revert  to  the  name  she  bore  during  her  first  mar- 
riage. 

"  I  never  realized  the  tenth  part  of  her  suffering  in 
304 


The  Broken  Treaty 

Paris,"  he  said,  "  though  I  knew  far  more  about 
Prince  Michael's  conduct  than  he  guessed.  We  must 
make  it  our  business,  Joan,  to  bring  some  brightness 
into  her  declining  years.  I  have  been  planning  our 
future  all  day  in  the  train.  Shall  I  become  the 
fortune  teller  this  time?  " 

"  Yes,"  she  murmured,  "  and  perhaps  I  may  forget 
that  I  have  cost  you  a  Kingdom." 

He  laughed  gayly,  just  as  he  used  to  laugh  on  those 
bright  May  mornings  when  he  waited  on  the  Pont 
Neuf  in  the  hope  that  he  might  be  permitted  to  escort 
her  to  the  Louvre. 

"  Never  dream  that  I  shall  bring  that  up  against 
you,  dear  heart,"  he  said.  "  Delgratz  ought  to  ad- 
vertise itself  as  a  sure  cure  for  ambition.  I  liked  the 
people;  but  I  hated  the  job,  and  Kosnovia  is  already 
becoming  a  myth  in  my  mind.  I  am  rejoicing  in  my 
new  name,  Alexander  Talbot.  I  hope  you  like  it. 
My  mother  tells  me  that  my  father  was  one  of  the 
strong  men  of  the  West.  I  am  called  after  him,  it 
seems,  and  although  my  own  name  sounds  strange  to 
me  I  like  the  purposeful  ring  in  it." 

Joan  laughed  merrily.  "  Felix  was  teasing  me  this 
morning  by  suggesting  that  you  might  have  been 
christened  Phineas,"  she  said. 

"  The  wretch !     And  what  if  I  was?  " 

She  looked  at  him  with  a  delightful  shyness.  "  No 
matter  what  name  you  bore,  you  would  always  be  my 
Alec,"  she  whispered. 

They  were  leaning  over  the  balcony  of  an  open  air 
305 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

restaurant  at  the  moment ;  so  Alec  perforce  contented 
himself  with  clasping  her  hand. 

"  And  now  for  my  scheme,  little  girl,"  he  said. 
"  We  will  get  married  at  once,  of  course." 

She  made  no  reply ;  but  he  felt  the  thrill  that  ran 
through  her  veins. 

"  Then,"  he  went  on,  so  gravely  that  she  raised  her 
eyes  to  his,  seeking  to  catch  his  slightest  shade  of 
meaning;  for  her  heart  was  still  troubled  by  the  fear 
that  she  had  wrought  him  evil,  "  I  will  take  you  to 
America,  my  home.  There  is  surely  a  nest  for  us  out 
there.  I  have  never  understood  it  before ;  but  often, 
as  a  boy,  I  felt  the  call  of  the  West.  It  was  natural, 
I  suppose.  We  had  many  American  friends  in  Paris, 
and  my  blood  tingled  when  they  spoke  of  the  great 
rivers,  the  prairies,  the  ocean  lakes,  the  giant  moun- 
tain ranges,  and  the  far  flung  plains  of  that  wondrous 
continent  which  they  describe  with  a  reverent  humor 
as  God's  own  country.  I  feel  that  I  shall  win  a  place 
for  myself  in  the  land  of  my  birth,  and  my  poor 
mother  is  aching  to  go  back  there  again." 

He  paused,  and  perhaps  he  hardly  realized  why 
Joan  sighed  with  happiness ;  for  she  could  believe,  at 
last,  that  he  had  never  a  pang  for  his  lost  king- 
ship. 

"  It  is  my  home,  too,  Alec,"  she  cooed.  "  I  was 
born  in  Vermont.  We  are  going  home  together." 

"  Yes,  dear,  no  more  partings.  We  shall  not  be 
wealthy,  Joan.  It  seems  that  the  miserable  little 
humbug  whom  I  have  regarded  as  my  father  has 

306 


, 


He  felt  the  thrill  that  ran  through  her  veins 


Page  806 


The  Broken  Treaty 

wasted  the  whole  of  my  mother's  fortune  by  his  ex- 
travagance. The  only  scrap  left  is  a  small  farm 
near  Denver,  and  even  that  would  have  been  sold  had 
not  the  crisis  in  Delgratz  offered  a  wider  scope  for 
Michael's  plundering  instincts.  It  is  a  strange  thing, 
sweetheart,  but  on  the  day  we  parted  in  Paris — the 
day  the  news  came  of  the  murder  of  Theodore  and 
his  wife — Prince  Michael  quarreled  with  my  mother 
because  she  refused  to  sanction  the  sale  of  that  last 
shred  of  her  inheritance.  In  order  to  vent  his  spite, 
he  had  actually  decided  to  tell  me  the  secret  of  my 
birth  in  the  very  hour  that  Julius  Marulitch  an- 
nounced the  disappearance  of  the  Obrenovitz 
dynasty." 

"  And  the  goddess  sent  you  east  instead  of  west," 
she  said  softly. 

"  Yes,  my  trial  has  been  short  and  sharp ;  but  she 
must  have  found  me  worthy,  since  she  has  given  me 
— you." 

They  reached  Paris  next  evening ;  but  by  that  time 
the  newspapers  were  hot  on  the  scent  of  the  missing 
King.  So  far  as  could  be  judged  from  the  reports 
telegraphed  by  French  correspondents  in  Delgratz, 
Stampoff  had  remained  true  to  his  dream  of  a  mon- 
archy. For  lack  of  a  better,  Michael  was  King. 
Some  one,  Beliani  probably,  had  issued  a  statement 
that  the  infatuation  of  Alexis  III.  for  a  pretty 
Parisian  artist  had  led  him  to  abdicate,  and  as  soon 
as  it  was  discovered  that  the  Delgrado  flat  in  the  Rue 
Boissiere  was  again  occupied  by  Alec  and  his  mother, 

307 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

they  were  besieged  by  reporters  anxious  to  glean  de- 
tails of  a  royal  romance. 

They  decided,  therefore,  to  leave  Paris  for  London, 
where,  under  the  name  of  Talbot,  they  might  hope  to 
escape  such  unwelcome  attentions.  It  was  no  easy 
matter  to  shalce  off  the  horde  of  eager  pressmen ;  but 
they  succeeded  at  last,  and  when  Alec  and  Joan  were 
quietly  married  in  a  West  End  church,  no  one,  ex- 
cept the  officiating  minister,  had  the  least  knowledge 
of  their  identity. 

After  a  brief  honeymoon  in  Devon  they  rejoined 
Mrs.  Talbot,  and  the  three  sailed  from  Southampton, 
whither  came  Felix  and  Beaumanoir  to  bid  them  fare- 
well. Bosko  and  Pauline  were  on  the  same  ship. 
The  taciturn  Serb  had  positively  refused  to  leave  his 
master,  though  Alec  pointed  out  that  his  fallen  for- 
tunes hardly  warranted  him  in  retaining  a  valet,  while 
Pauline,  whom  recent  circumstances  had  thrown  a 
good  deal  in  Bosko's  company,  declared  that  Paris  no 
longer  had  any  attractions  for  her.  Without  con- 
sulting any  one  the  two  got  married,  and  astounded 
Mrs.  Talbot  one  fine  morning  by  announcing  the 
fact. 

At  the  last  moment  Joan  almost  persuaded  Felix 
to  go  with  her  and  her  husband ;  but  he  tore  himself 
away. 

"  I  peeped  into  the  Grande  Galerie  the  other  morn- 
ing," he  said,  with  a  real  sob  in  his  voice,  "  and  my 
poor  Madonna  looked  so  lonely !  There  was  no  one 
with  her;  just  a  few  painted  angels  and  a  couple  of 

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The  Broken  Treaty 

gaping  tourists.  I  must  go  back.  Some  day  you 
will  come  to  the  Louvre,  and  you  will  find  me  there, 
le  pauvre  Bourdon,  still  singing  and  painting." 

He  began  to  hum  furiously.  When  the  gangway 
was  lowered,  and  the  great  ship  sidled  slowly  but 
relentlessly  away  from  the  quay,  he  struck  the  tre- 
mendous opening  note  of  "*Ernani." 

Beaumanoir  grabbed  him  by  the  collar.  "  Shut 
up,  you  idiot !  "  he  said,  not  smiling  at  all,  for  he  loved 
Alec.  "  This  is  England.  If  you  sing  here,  a  bobby 
will  run  you  in.  An',  anyhow,  blank  it !  why  do  you 
want  to  sing?  This  isn't  a  smoking  concert.  It's 
more  like  a  bally  funeral !  " 


309 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE   ENVOY 

IN  the  autumn  of  the  following  year,  Joan  was 
seated  one  day  in  the  garden  of  her  pretty  suburban 
house  at  Denver.  Not  far  away  glittered  a  silvery 
lake;  beyond  a  densely  wooded  plain  rose  the  blue 
amphitheater  of  the  Rocky  Mountains ;  the  distant 
clang  of  a  gong  told  of  street  cars  and  the  busy  life 
of  one  of  America's  most  thriving  and  picturesque 
cities. 

She  was  somewhat  more  fragile  than  when  she 
crossed  the  Pont  Neuf  on  that  fine  morning  in  May 
eighteen  months  ago;  but  she  looked  and  felt  su- 
premely happy,  for  Alec  would  soon  be  home  from  his 
office,  where  already  he  was  proving  that  the  qual- 
ities which  made  him  a  good  King  were  now  in  a  fair 
way  toward  establishing  his  position  as  a  leading 
citizen  of  his  native  State.  By  her  side  in  a  dainty 
cot  reposed  another  Alec,  whose  age  might  not  yet  be 
measured  by  many  weeks,  but  whose  size  and  lusti- 
ness proclaimed  him — in  his  own  special  circle,  at  any 
rate — the  most  remarkable  baby  that  ever  "  oc- 
curred "  in  Colorado. 

Mrs.  Talbot,  Senior,  tired  of  reading,  was  now  doz- 
310 


The  Envoy 

ing  peacefully  in  an  easy  chair  on  the  other  side  of 
the  cot.  The  day  had  been  warm;  but  the  evening 
air  brought  with  it  the  crisp  touch  of  autumn,  and 
Joan  was  about  to  summon  Pauline,  who — with  hon- 
orable mention  of  the  unchanging  Bosko — had  solved 
for  the  young  couple  the  most  perplexing  problem  of 
American  life, — when  the  click  of  the  garden  gate 
caught  her  ear  and  she  heard  her  husband's  firm  step. 
He  stooped  and  kissed  her. 

"  I  hope  you  have  passed  the  whole  day  in  the 
garden,  sweetheart,"  he  said. 

"  Yes,"  she  replied,  "  I  was  just  going  to  send 
baby  indoors.  Will  you  tell  Pauline  it  is  time  he 
was  in  bed;  but  do  not  disturb  your  mother.  She's 
asleep." 

"  Baby  can  wait  one  minute,"  he  said.  "  He  looks 
quite  contented  where  he  is.  There  is  news  from  Del- 
gratz,"  he  added  in  a  lower  voice.  "  King  Michael 
is  dead." 

An  expression  of  real  sympathy  swept  across 
Joan's  beautiful  face.  "  I  am  sorry  to  hear  that," 
she  said.  Then,  with  the  innate  desire  of  every  high- 
minded  woman  to  find  good  where  there  seems  to  be 
naught  but  evil,  she  added,  "  Perhaps,  when  he 
reached  the  throne,  he  may  have  mended  his  ways 
and  striven  to  be  a  better  man.  Did  he  die  sud- 
denly?" 

"  Yes,"  and  a  curious  inflection  in  Alec's  voice 
caused  his  wife  to  glance  anxiously  toward  the  sleep- 
ing woman. 

311 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

"  Was  there  a  tragedy?  "  she  whispered. 

"  Something  of  the  sort.  The  details  are  hardly 
known  yet,  and  the  telegrams  published  in  our  Den- 
ver newspapers  are  not  quite  explicit.  There  is  an 
allusion  to  a  disturbance  in  a  local  theater,  during 
which  the  heir  apparent,  Count  Julius  Marulitch, 
was  fatally  stabbed." 

"Oh!  "gasped  Joan. 

"  It  would  seem  that  this  incident  took  place  sev- 
eral days  ago,  but  escaped  notice  in  the  American 
press  at  the  time.  Attention  is  drawn  to  it  now  by 
the  fact  that  King  Michael  was  found  dead  in  his 
apartments  at  an  early  hour  yesterday  morning,  and 
it  is  rumored  that  he  was  poisoned." 

"  How  dreadful !  "  she  gasped.  "  It  will  shock 
your  mother  terribly  when  she  hears  of  it." 

"  It  is  an  odd  feature  of  the  affair,"  went  on  Alec, 
"  that  the  telegram  describes  the  King  as  residing  in 
the  New  Konak.  I  suppose  he  passed  the  summer 
months  there,  and  had  not  yet  returned  to  Delgratz. 
Delightful  as  the  place  was,  I  am  glad  now  we  never 
lived  there,  Joan." 

She  rose  and  caught  him  by  the  arm.  "  Alec,"  she 
murmured,  "  Heaven  was  very  good  to  us  in  sending 
us  away  from  that  Inferno !  You  never  regret  those 
days,  do  you?  You  never  think,  deep  down  in  your 
heart,  that  if  it  had  not  been  for  me  you  would  still 
be  a  King?" 

He  laughed  so  cheerfully  that  the  sound  of  his 
mirth  woke  both  his  mother  and  the  baby. 

312 


The  Envoy 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Mrs.  Talbot,  scanning  the 
faces  of  her  son  and  his  wife  with  a  whole  world  of 
affection  in  her  kindly  eyes. 

"  Well,  nothing  to  laugh  about,  mother,"  said  he, 
"  since  I  was  just  telling  Joan  that  the  end  has  come 
for  some  one  in  Kosnovia;  but " 

"  Is  Michael  dead?  "  interrupted  his  mother,  paling 
a  little. 

"  Yes,  mother,  he  is." 

She  bent  her  head  in  brief  reverie,  and  when  she 
looked  up  again  she  seemed  to  be  gazing  at  the  smiling 
landscape.  But  they  knew  better.  Her  thoughts 
had  flown  many  a  mile  from  Colorado. 

"  May  Heaven  be  more  merciful  to  him  than  he 
was  to  me !  "  she  said  at  last,  and  that  was  her  requiem 
for  the  man  to  whom  she  had  given  her  best  days. 
She  forgave  him;  but  she  could  not  find  it  in  her 
heart  to  regret  his  loss. 

When  the  New  York  papers  reached  Denver,  the 
small  household — whose  interest  in  the  affairs  of  far 
off  Kosnovia  was  little  dreamed  of  by  their  neighbors 
— gleaned  fuller  details  of  the  tragedy  that  had  again 
overwhelmed  the  Delgrados.  Many  times  did  the 
conversation  turn  to  the  tiny  Kingdom  with  which 
their  own  lives  had  been  so  intimately  bound  up.  So 
far  as  the  American  press  was  concerned,  the  topic 
was  soon  forgotten ;  but  Alec,  having  obtained  a 
Budapest  journal,  found  that  Stampoff,  Beliani,  and 
Sergius  Nesimir  were  taking  steps  to  form  a  Re- 
public. 

SIS 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

"  Sometimes,"  said  Alec  during  their  talk  that  even- 
ing, "  it  is  the  expected  that  happens." 

"  I  suppose,"  said  Joan  musingly,  "  that  the  un- 
lucky little  Principality  ought  to  prosper  under  a 

popular  Government — unless "  She  paused,  and 

her  husband  was  quick  to  interpret  her  thought. 

"  Unless  they  obtain  the  right  sort  of  King,"  he 
cried. 

"  Perhaps  that  is  impossible  since  you  are  here, 
dear,"  she  said  softly. 

"Is  that  bee  still  buzzing  in  your  bonnet?"  he 
laughed.  "  I  agree  with  you,  Joan ;  it  was  a  pity  I 
let  go  so  promptly." 

She  lifted  her  startled  eyes  to  his.  "  Oh,  Alec !  " 
she  cried,  "  you  don't  mean  it !  " 

"  I  do,  sweetheart,"  he  said  with  a  marked  serious- 
ness that  puzzled  her.  "  It  was  sheer  selfishness 
that  drove  me  from  Kosnovia.  I  honestly  believe  I 
should  have  cracked  up  under  the  weight  of  empire ; 
but  just  fancy  what  a  wonderful  Queen  you  would 
have  made ! " 

"  Oh,  don't  be  stupid,"  she  cried.  "  You  almost 
frightened  me." 

Alec's  mother  put  in  a  gentle  word.  "  If  ever 
either  of  you  is  tempted  to  regret  the  loss  of  a  throne, 
you  ought  to  devote  half  an  hour  to  reading  the  his- 
tory of  Kosnovia,"  she  said.  "  You  are  happy,  and 
that  is  what  you  would  never  have  been  in  the 
Balkans.  A  curse  rests  on  that  unlucky  land. 
Never  a  Delgrado  or  Obrenovitz  has  reigned  a  decade 

314 


The  Envoy 

in  peace  and  security.  It  was  a  red  letter  day  for 
Alec  when  you  brought  him  away  from  Delgratz,  my 
dear,"  she  continued,  with  a  fond  pressure  of  her 
hand  on  Joan's  brown  hair.  "  None  of  us  knew  it 
at  the  time ;  but  there  are  events  in  life  that,  like  cer- 
tain short  and  sharp  diseases,  leave  us  all  the  better 
when  they  have  passed,  though  their  severity  may  try 
us  cruelly  at  the  time." 

The  Indian  summer  day  was  drawing  to  a  close,  and 
Bosko  entered  to  close  the  windows  and  pull  down 
the  blinds.  The  sight  of  him  moved  Alec  to  speak  in 
that  sonorous  Serbian  tongue  which  was  already  for- 
eign to  his  own  ears. 

"  Do  you  like  America,  Bosko  ?  "  he  said. 

The  imperturbable  one  almost  started;  for  it  was 
long  since  he  had  heard  any  words  in  his  own  lan- 
guage. 

"  Oui,  monsieur,"  he  said. 

"  And  would  you  go  back  to  Delgratz  if  you  had 
the  opportunity  ?  " 

"  Non,  monsieur."  For  a  wonder,  he  broke  into 
an  explanation.  "  I  can  go  out  here  without  ex- 
pecting to  be  fired  at  from  some  hedge  or  ditch  around 
the  next  corner,  monsieur.  You  did  not  know  those 
rascals  as  I  knew  them.  They  nearly  got  you  once ; 
but  they  tried  a  dozen  times,  and  would  have  suc- 
ceeded too,  if  Stampoff  had  not  been  too  sharp  for 
them." 

"  Good  gracious,  Bosko !  "  said  his  master.  "  This 
is  news,  indeed.  Why  was  I  not  told?  " 

315 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

"  There  was  no  need,  monsieur.  Each  time  we 
discovered  a  plot  we  put  every  man  in  jail  who  might 
be  suspected  of  the  least  connection  with  it.  More- 
over, had  you  heard  of  these  things  you  would  have 
interfered." 

"  Then,  in  the  name  of  goodness,  why  didn't  my 
protectors  find  out  about  the  attack  made  by  the  Sev- 
enth Regiment  ?  Surely  there  were  enough  concerned 
in  that  to  supply  at  least  one  spy?  " 

Bosko  hesitated.  He  glanced  surreptitiously  at 
Alec's  mother.  "  Things  went  wrong  that  day,  mon- 
sieur," he  said.  "  Information  that  ought  to  have 
reached  the  General  was  withheld." 

And  Alec  left  it  at  that;  for  the  man  who  might 
reasonably  be  suspected  of  offsetting  Stampoff's 
vigilance  was  dead,  and  no  good  purpose  could  be 
served  by  adding;  one  more  to  his  mother's  host  of 
bitter  memories. 

A  bell  sounded,  and  Bosko  went  to  the  front  door. 
He  returned,  his  stolid  features  exhibiting  the  closest 
approach  to  excitement  that  they  were  capable  of. 
Evidently  he  meant  to  announce  a  visitor;  but  before 
he  could  open  his  mouth  a  high  and  singularly  musical 
voice  came  from  the  entrance  hall  in  the  exquisite 
opening  bars  of  the  "  Salve  Dimora." 

With  one  amazed  cry  of  "  Felix !  "  Joan  and  Alec 
rushed  to  the  door.  Yes,  there  stood  Felix,  thin- 
ner, more  wizened,  more  shrunken,  than  when  last 
they  saw  him  on  the  quay  at  Southampton.  Joan, 
impulsive  as  ever,  welcomed  him  with  a  hearty  kiss. 

316 


The  Envoy 

"  You  dear  creature !  "  she  said.  "  Why  did  you 
not  tell  us  you  were  in  America  ?  " 

"  An  envoy  always  delivers  his  message  in  person, 
my  belle.  I  am  here  on  affairs  of  state.  The  tele- 
graph is  but  a  crude  herald,  and  I  was  forbidden  to 
write." 

Alec  dragged  him  into  the  room.  "  Business  first, 
Felix,"  he  said.  "  That  is  the  motto  of  strenuous 
America.  Now,  what  is  it?  " 

"  Beliani  came  to  me  in  Paris,"  said  the  hunchback, 
affecting  the  weighty  delivery  of  one  charged  with 
matters  of  imperial  import.  "  He  brought  with  him 
letters  from  Stampoff  and  Nesimir,  which  I  shall  de- 
liver. He  also  intrusted  me  with  a  copy  of  a  unani- 
mous resolution  of  the  Kosnovian  Assembly,  passed 
in  secret  session." 

Joan's  face  suddenly  paled,  Mrs.  Talbot's  hands 
clenched  the  arms  of  the  chair  in  which  she  was  sit- 
ting, and  the  two  women  exchanged  glances.  None 
of  this  escaped  Alec,  who  was  seemingly  unmoved. 

"  Behold  in  me,  then,"  continued  Poluski,  "  the 
Ambassador  of  Kosnovia.  Delgratz  wants  again  to 
see  its  Alexis,  who  is  invited  to  reoccupy  the  throne 
on  his  own  terms, — wife,  infant,  mother,  Bosko, 
Pauline,  even  myself  and  the  domestic  cat,  all  are 
welcome.  There  are  no  restrictions.  At  a  word 
from  the  King  even  the  Assembly  itself  will  dissolve." 

Somehow,  Poluski's  manner  conveyed  that  this  was 
no  elaborate  jest,  and  Joan's  lips  trembled  pitifully 
when,  after  one  look  at  the  youthful  Alec,  who  was 

317 


A  Son  of  the  Immortals 

lying  on  a  cushion  and  saying  "  Coo-coo  "  to  a  rattle, 
she  awaited  her  husband's  reply.  He  too  looked  at 
her  in  silence,  and  even  Joan  became  dematerialized 
for  one  fateful  moment.  In  his  mind's  eye  he  saw 
the  sunlit  domes  and  minarets  of  the  White  City.  The 
blue  Danube  sparkled  as  of  yore  beneath  its  ancient 
walls.  Through  the  peaceful  air  of  that  quiet  Den- 
ver suburb  he  caught  the  sound  of  cheering  crowds, 
the  crashing  of  bells,  the  booming  of  cannon,  that 
would  welcome  his  return. 

But  he  thought,  too,  of  the  fret  and  fume  of  King- 
ship, of  the  brave  men  and  gracious  women  who  had 
occupied  an  unstable  throne  and  were  now  crumbling 
to  dust  in  the  vaults  of  that  gloomy  cathedral.  He 
smiled  tenderly  at  his  wife,  and  his  hand  stole  out  to 
meet  hers. 

"  I  refuse,  Felix !  "  he  said  quietly. 

Poluski's  piercing  gray  eyes  peered  at  him  under 
the  shaggy  eyebrows.  "  Is  that  final  ?  " 

"  Absolutely  final !  " 

Felix  broke  into  a  hearty  laugh.  "  I  warned  Beli- 
ani,"  he  chuckled.  "  No  one  could  have  written  to  me 
as  Joan  has  done  and  yet  want  to  return  to  that 
whited  sepulcher  down  there  in  the  Balkans.  Well, 
here  are  my  credentials,"  and  he  threw  a  bundle  of 
papers  on  the  table.  "  I  have  done  what  I  was  asked 
to  do,  and  thus  earned  my  passage  money;  and  now, 
when  I  have  kissed  the  baby  and  shaken  hands  all 
round,  I  will  bring  in  my  wedding  present." 

A  minute  later  he  danced  out  into  the  hall  and  re- 
318 


The  Envoy 

turned  with  a  huge  roll  of  canvas.  "  I  unpacked  it 
at  the  station,"  he  said ;  "  so  it  is  ready  for  inspec- 
tion," and  he  spread  out  on  the  table  a  replica  of  the 
famous  Murillo.  "  There,"  he  cried,  "  since  Joan 
would  not  come  to  the  Louvre,  I  am  bringing  the 
Louvre's  chief  treasure  to  her.  As  it  is  the  last,  so  is 
it  the  best  of  my  copies.  My  hand  was  losing  its 
cunning,  I  felt  myself  growing  old,  so  I  prayed  to 
that  sweet  Madonna  to  give  me  one  last  flicker  of  the 
immortal  fire  ere  it  left  me  a  dry  cinder.  Well,  she 
listened,  I  think.  Ave  Maria!  the  great  Spaniard 
himself  would  rub  his  eyes  if  he  could  see  this.  Now, 
I  shall  go  back  contented,  and  dream  of  the  days  that 
are  gone." 

His  voice  broke.  He  was  gazing  at  Joan,  at  the 
glory  of  maternity  in  her  face. 

"  You  are  not  going  back,  Felix,"  said  Alec. 
"  Kosnovia  has  now  lost  both  its  King  and  its  Am- 
bassador. You  are  here,  and  here  you  shall  stay." 

"  Yes,  dear  Felix,"  whispered  Joan,  "  we  have 
found  our  Kingdom.  Our  court  is  small;  but  there 
is  always  room  in  it  for  you." 

So  Denver  heard  wild  snatches  of  song,  and  lis- 
tened, and  marveled,  and  a  baby  cultivated  a  strange 
taste  in  lullabies,  and  Pallas  Athene  forgot  that  one 
of  her  chosen  sons  dwelt  in  Colorado,  or,  if  she  re- 
membered, her  heart  was  softened  and  she  forbore. 

THE  END 


319 


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